A senior US Navy admiral has pushed back on widely circulated reports about conditions aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln, calling many of the concerns “old news” after visiting the aircraft carrier.
The USS Abraham Lincoln left for deployment on November 21 and had initially been expected to return home in May. Instead, its mission was extended indefinitely amid the war with Iran, keeping more than 4,000 sailors at sea for nearly nine months.
In recent days, family members of sailors assigned to the carrier have spoken publicly about mounting exhaustion among the crew, with some relatives saying their loved ones had become so overwhelmed that they attempted to go overboard.
CNN reported that on August 3, a sailor attached to the carrier’s air wing entered rough seas while wearing a life vest in what the Navy described as a mental health episode. A search and rescue helicopter recovered the sailor from the water within an hour.
Two wives also separately told the Military Times that their husbands had allegedly tried to jump from the ship.
But Admiral Brad Cooper, commander of US Central Command, visited the USS Abraham Lincoln on Saturday and later said much of the criticism and concern circulating in the media was outdated.
Writing in an op-ed published Sunday by the Wall Street Journal, Cooper addressed coverage of the carrier’s extended mission, saying: “Recent media reporting has portrayed varying perspectives on operational tempo, crew morale and the realities facing our deployed forces.”
“What I found aboard the Lincoln is that many elements of those stories are old news,” he wrote.
Cooper also released a statement brushing off fears of widespread suicidal ideation alleged to be experienced among those aboard the aircraft carrier.
In the statement, posted to CENTCOM’s X account on Sunday, Cooper said: ‘Of the US Navy’s 11 active aircraft carriers, the Lincoln currently has among the lowest number of cases related to mental health.’
At an emotional town hall meeting earlier this month, more than 200 family members of sailors aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln met with acting Secretary of the Navy Hung Cao to express their concerns.
A spouse tearfully told officials she received a message that same day from her husband saying ‘he hopes he doesn’t wake up tomorrow,’ Stars and Stripes reported.
A mother also described how her daughter said she felt like she was never going to be able to come home and believed she was going to die on the ship, according to MS Now.
Relatives also expressed concerns over food levels on board after pictures emerged appearing to show meagre provisions, and some reports claimed there was mildew in the showers and a lack of clean water, which officials said had been resolved.
One parent with a child on the Lincoln said they received a photo from mid-April that showed a tray with boiled carrots, a scoop of ground beef and a gray slice of dry-looking meat.
Relatives of service members aboard the aircraft carrier met with acting Secretary of the Navy Hung Cao (pictured) earlier this month and expressed their concerns
Relatives expressed concern about food aboard the ship. One parent with a child on the Lincoln received this photo from mid-April showing a sad-looking plate of food
Congressional Democrats demanded answers last week about the conditions onboard the aircraft carrier.
In a letter to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Senator Richard Blumenthal said the USS Abraham Lincoln ‘has been deployed more than 250 days’ without coming ashore ‘in over 200 days, setting a record for consecutive days at sea.’
Blumenthal voiced concern for such extended deployments, noting ‘widespread reports of shortages of basic supplies, water contamination, plumbing issues, deteriorating mental health, deck safety concerns’ and other problems aboard the Lincoln.
Amid the outcry, reporters asked Donald Trump whether the deployment had simply gone on too long, to which the president shot back: ‘No. Not nearly long enough.’
Still, Cooper was sent to visit the ship, and CENTCOM announced on Sunday that the USS Abraham Lincoln’s deployment is ending.
The admiral mentioned the development in the first paragraph of his op-ed, in which he said: ‘I delivered the words every deployed sailor and Marine longs to hear: “You have delivered a performance for the ages, and now you are going home.”’
Cooper praised the service members aboard the aircraft carrier as ‘high-achieving Americans standing tall with justified pride in everything they have accomplished.’
He acknowledged that ‘The crew is tired,’ but also emphasized ‘they continue to fire on all cylinders.’
Amid the outcry from relatives of sailors and Congressional Democrats, President Donald Trump said the aircraft carrier had not been deployed ‘nearly long enough’
The admiral also gave a rundown of the aircraft carrier’s accomplishments during its deployment, which included shooting down more than 200 Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) drones, executing hundreds of strikes on IRGC targets and twice enacting ‘the most effective naval blockade in modern history.’
He also thanked the families of the sailors aboard the ship and said: ‘Your strength makes their service possible, and your wait is coming to an end. Godspeed and enjoy the well-deserved reunion soon.’
As the USS Abraham Lincoln prepares for its journey home, another aircraft carrier, USS George Washington, has departed the Pacific to take its place.
