What’s Happening With The USS Abraham Lincoln? [Op-Ed]

It appears that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s pursuit of a “warrior culture” means neglecting the basic psychological needs of Naval personnel. After several Navy family members had a heated meeting with a top Navy official, several Democratic senators have called for Navy officials to address concerns about conditions on the USS Abraham Lincoln. 

According to CBS News, the USS Abraham Lincoln deployed from San Diego on Nov. 21 for what was initially intended to be a tour of the South China Sea. The carrier was rerouted to the Middle East in February as a result of Israel and the U.S.’s joint strikes on Iran. The USS Abraham Lincoln apparently has been deployed for 250 days, with 200 of them spent at sea consecutively, a record in the modern age. 

The Navy Times reports that the prolonged deployment has been a strain on the mental health of the sailors aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln, with several people attempting to jump overboard due to the prolonged time at sea. Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) sent a letter to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and acting Secretary of the Navy Hung Cao on Wednesday, demanding answers about conditions on the ship.

Blumenthal expressed concerns about the length of the deployment, noting “widespread reports of shortages of basic supplies, water contamination, plumbing issues, deteriorating mental health, deck safety concerns,” along with various other problems aboard the Lincoln.

The letter came after military families confronted Cao over conditions aboard the carrier during an in-person town hall meeting last Thursday. The families pressed Cao over conditions aboard the carrier, the mental health of the sailors, food shortages, water contamination, and disruptions in the mail system, which has resulted in care packages being lost in transit. The families pleaded for Cao to give them an exact date on when the sailors would return home. Cao couldn’t do that, saying only that the Navy is preparing to deploy the USS Theodore Roosevelt to relieve the USS Abraham Lincoln.

It appears the growing controversy around the carrier has accelerated those plans, as NPR reports that the USS George Washington is en route to the Middle East to replace the USS Abraham Lincoln. 

This honestly isn’t much of a relief for Navy sailors and their families. We’re already seeing how poorly the Navy has handled the USS Abraham Lincoln’s deployment; why would anyone think they will do better with the USS George Washington? Hegseth himself has said that the U.S. blockade around the Strait of Hormuz could continue “indefinitely.”

Have Cao and Hegseth never read a book? Watched a naval movie? The negative psychological effects of being at sea for such a prolonged period of time have been documented since, like, The Odyssey. There are actual studies on the emotional and psychological impact prolonged maritime voyages have on sailors and seafarers. The alleged conditions aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln are further evidence that the war in Iran was poorly planned and executed, and now our soldiers and sailors are the ones bearing the brunt of the consequences. 

In fact, lengthy Naval deployments seem to be a feature, not a bug, of how the Navy is operating under Hegseth’s leadership. The USS Gerald R. Ford returned home in May after nearly a year-long deployment where the carrier assisted both with the capture of former Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, as well as with the early months of the war in Iran. 

Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) wrote that the Navy “must allow a bipartisan Congressional Delegation to visit the USS Lincoln to conduct [an] oversight investigation into this horrible situation,” in a social media post on Wednesday.

A Navy spokesperson released a statement to CBS News in the wake of several reports about the conditions aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln. 

“Lincoln is operating in a highly contested environment where traditional supply hubs in the Middle East were disrupted by combat actions. In response, leadership prioritized mission-critical supplies: first food, then hygiene items, then mail. Current reports from the ship confirm continuous access to clean water, functional AC, and healthy meal options,” a Navy official told CBS News in a statement. 

Hegseth also responded to the reports on Thursday, saying conditions on the ship were “completely misrepresented.” You know, I’m more inclined to believe the families of sailors who’ve been stuck at sea over the guy who has consistently refused to give straight answers about the conflict in Iran.

“We make sure that every ship, every crew, every captain has everything we can provide them at every single moment,” Hegseth said. “Some deployments are longer than others, and I have more respect and gratitude for those sailors than anybody.” 

You know, maybe Hegseth needs to spend less time focusing on the testosterone levels of our soldiers and more time making sure that our troops’ basic needs are met. 

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What’s Happening With The USS Abraham Lincoln? [Op-Ed] was originally published on newsone.com