Donald Trump has downplayed concerns about nearly 5,000 sailors and marines aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln, which is in its ninth month at sea on a record-setting deployment tied to the US war with Iran. Asked about the lengthy deployment on Friday, the president said it was “not nearly long enough” and claimed families were not worried.
The comments came as military families and Democratic lawmakers pressed for accountability over reported mental-health and supply problems aboard the carrier. The defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, said Thursday that conditions had been “completely misrepresented.”
What officials say about conditions aboard the carrier
The US Navy said it had “not observed an increase in suicidal ideations or attempts aboard the ship”, but declined to provide data, citing operational security and patient privacy. Navy officials said the carrier continues to have clean water, working air conditioning and healthy meal options.
A US official said the Lincoln is operating in a highly contested environment where traditional Middle East supply hubs were disrupted by combat. Mission-critical supplies were prioritized in this order: food, hygiene items and mail. Acting navy secretary Hung Cao said a small number of mental-health cases had been treated with no loss of life, while acknowledging that sailors and marines had been pushed to their limits.
Reports of distress and the response from families
Navy Times and Stars and Stripes reported multiple attempts by sailors to jump overboard as poor conditions and mental stresses intensified during the deployment. A US official confirmed that one sailor succeeded in early August, but was quickly recovered by an air-wing search-and-rescue helicopter, treated by the ship’s medical department and transferred off the ship for follow-on care.
About 200 family members attended an emotional town-hall meeting with navy leaders in San Diego last week. One spouse said her husband had texted that he hoped he would not wake up the next day. The Navy disputed an increase in suicidal thoughts or attempts but did not release supporting figures.
Replacement carrier and unresolved deployment questions
Trump said the Lincoln was moving, or would do so shortly, and would be replaced by another similar ship. The USS George Washington left port in Da Nang, Vietnam, the previous week and is expected to replace the Lincoln as one of two aircraft carriers deployed in the Middle East.
The Navy has reimposed a blockade on Iranian ports in the Strait of Hormuz as hostilities have calmed in recent weeks. The administration has not provided clarity on how it intends to wind down the war, while Hegseth has suggested the military could maintain the blockage indefinitely.
No comments yet. Start the discussion.