266 days deployed: USS Abraham Lincoln to return home amid rising scrutiny over sailor welfare
The USS Abraham Lincoln, the US aircraft carrier that has spent months supporting American combat operations in the Middle East war against Iran, is set to return home, amid growing scrutiny over conditions faced by its roughly 5,000 sailors and Marines.Acting US navy secretary Hung Cao announced Friday (local time) that the carrier would return to the US as part of a planned rotation, saying the Lincoln’s deployment had been extended because its mission demanded it. However, he downplayed the reports of the conditions and sailors.“The USS Abraham Lincoln crushed their deployment and will return home soon as part of a planned rotation,” Cao said in a statement. “Let me be clear: the safety and security of our Sailors and Marines always comes first.”The announcement comes amid reports of deteriorating conditions aboard the carrier, including intermittent food shortages, limited hygiene supplies, problems with toilets and water systems and a lack of regular port calls. Sailors and their families have also raised concerns about morale and mental health during the prolonged deployment.CNN reported that some sailors had described morale aboard the Lincoln as very low and said they had heard repeatedly about suicidal thoughts among fellow crew members. Two sailors assigned to the Lincoln strike group have also reportedly gone overboard in recent months and were rescued, while other sailors were reportedly stopped from jumping.“You used to be able to go to the ship store and get as many items as you want, with every hygiene product consistently available,” one sailor (talking anonymously) told CNN. Now there are limits on purchases and “hardly any hygiene products (are) readily available.”The Navy has disputed claims of a broader mental-health crisis aboard the carrier. “We have not observed an increase in suicidal ideations or attempts aboard the ship,” the Navy told CNN, adding that medical, religious and mental-health professionals were available to support service members.Cao also pushed back against reports portraying the sailors as victims, saying the media narrative had taken attention away from the mission and the threat facing US forces.He acknowledged that the deployment had placed sailors under significant strain, but said the carrier had continued to meet its operational demands.According to Cao, the Lincoln has spent 266 days deployed, including 200 days in a combat zone, while its strike group has conducted more than 10,000 sorties and dropped about 1.5 million pounds of ordnance He said the carrier’s retention rates were among the highest in the Navy.Cao also acknowledged that some sailors had received mental-health treatment, although he said there had been no loss of life. He said meal plans had been adjusted when fresh supplies were unavailable, but “without a single meal being missed,” while calls home were sometimes restricted when the operational threat was too high.The Lincoln’s prolonged deployment has also raised wider questions about the strain on the US Navy’s carrier fleet. The Navy has traditionally planned around deployments of about seven months, but several carrier strike groups have exceeded that duration in recent years as US forces have responded to conflicts and security demands across multiple regions.The USS Gerald R Ford recently completed a 326-day deployment, the longest for a US aircraft carrier since the Vietnam War, while other carriers have also spent more than 250 days away from their home ports.Experts and former Navy officials have warned that repeated extensions can increase stress on sailors and their families, contribute to burnout and place additional strain on ships and equipment.The USS George Washington has been deployed to replace the Lincoln, which has been supporting US forces during the war against Iran. The Lincoln is carrying about 5,000 sailors and Marines.President Donald Trump has also dismissed concerns over the length of the carrier’s deployment. Asked Friday whether it had gone on too long, Trump said, “No. Not nearly long enough.”Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth echoed that the conditions aboard the carrier have been “completely misrepresented.”Cao said the Lincoln’s sailors had been pushed to their limits but had continued to carry out their mission.“They are rightly tired—but have never been out of the fight,” he said, calling the sailors and their families “the epitome of American strength and resilience.”
