US President Donald Trump has dismissed concerns raised by families of sailors aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln as the aircraft carrier nears nine months of deployment in the Middle East, despite reports of difficult conditions on board.
Families of several of the roughly 5,000 sailors and Marines serving on the carrier have raised concerns over food shortages, contaminated water, mould in showers and lengthy shifts during wartime. Some relatives have also claimed conditions had become so severe that sailors had tried to jump overboard, Bloomberg reported.
Asked by reporters on Friday whether families were worried about the prolonged deployment, Trump said, “No, they’re not.”
“That ship is moving right now, or very shortly, and it’s being replaced with another very similar ship,” Trump added. When asked if the deployment had lasted too long, he said it was “not nearly long enough.”
Navy says carrier will return soon
The USS Abraham Lincoln is expected to return to the US “soon as part of a planned rotation,” acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao said on Friday.
{{/usCountry}}The USS Abraham Lincoln is expected to return to the US “soon as part of a planned rotation,” acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao said on Friday.
{{/usCountry}}In a social media statement, Cao acknowledged disruptions during the deployment, including changes to meal plans and restrictions on calls home. He also referred to a “small number of mental health cases”.
Navy carrier deployments typically last about seven months. The Lincoln has now spent about nine months at sea, including more than 200 days without a port call and months of sustained combat operations in the war in Iran.
“There is no question our young men and women have been pushed to their limits—but they have never broken. They are rightly tired — but have never been out of the fight,” Cao said.
Democrats seek answers over deployment
Democrats in Congress called for answers earlier this week over the extended deployment and conditions faced by personnel aboard the carrier.
Senator Richard Blumenthal, a Connecticut Democrat, wrote to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Cao seeking details on measures being taken to improve conditions on the Lincoln.
Earlier this month, military family members confronted the Navy secretary over the prolonged deployment during a meeting in San Diego, MSNOW reported, citing people who attended the meeting.
Defence officials reject reports
Defence officials have disputed reports about conditions aboard the Lincoln. Hegseth described reports concerning the carrier as “completely misrepresented” in an interview with Newsmax on Thursday.
A Navy official also said the service had not seen an increase in mental health problems aboard the Lincoln, including sailors expressing suicidal thoughts. The official, who cited Pentagon rules and declined to be identified, said religious, medical and mental health professionals were available to sailors. A service dog named Captain Fathom was also aboard to help boost morale.
White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly, appearing on Fox News on Friday, said, “this president cares about our United States military service members, our troops, more than everybody,” despite Trump's earlier remarks
Central Command addresses claims
US Central Command said on social media on Thursday that there had been “several false claims” about the aircraft carrier.
It said, “the Sailors and Marines of the Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group remain resilient and resolved after more than 260 days at sea, 10,000 aircraft flights.”
The command acknowledged that one service member had gone overboard but said the sailor was “quickly and safely recovered.”
(With inputs from Bloomberg)