U.S. Central Command Adm. Brad Cooper tried to assuage concerns about the sailors and Marines aboard USS Abraham Lincoln after visiting the aircraft carrier over the weekend.
A number of families have voiced worries that mental health conditions on the ship are deteriorating, and there have been some complaints about sanitary conditions and food supplies during the lengthy deployment amid the U.S.-Iran war. A typical deployment is six months, but the service members aboard the USS Lincoln have been deployed for nine months and counting.
In a statement posted to X, Cooper said deployment at sea is “uniquely challenging and tough, and every single one of us, including me, reacts to stressors in different ways.”
“I’ve long believed that mental health is another aspect of individual health and requires our attention just like physical health and spiritual health,” Cooper added, without confirming or denying any specific issues.
The Military Times and Stars and Stripes recently reported suicide attempts and declining morale among the ship’s thousands of sailors and Marines.
Jefferson Kelley, whose son, Jackson, is aboard the Lincoln, told CBS News the service members “should not be deployed this long.”
“These are old ships,” he told CBS News. “It’s not like they’re even state-of-the-art. And they take a lot of maintenance, a lot of work. It’s around the clock.”
A U.S. official previously told CBS News that the USS George Washington aircraft carrier is headed to the Middle East to replace the USS Abraham Lincoln, although that may take time.
The Navy has said it has not seen an increase in reported suicidal ideation or suicide attempts on board. An Aug. 3 incident in which a sailor fell overboard and was recovered remain under investigation, the Navy said.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has described reports of the ship’s conditions as “completely misrepresented.” President Trump also disputed the concerns, saying the Lincoln’s deployment has been “not nearly long enough” when asked if the carrier has been deployed too long.
Republicans and Democrats in Congress, however, are demanding answers.
GOP Rep. Don Bacon of Nebraska said on Sunday that Congress should conduct oversight of the ship’s conditions, calling for testimony from top Navy officials.
“We should have oversight,” Bacon said on “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan.”
Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut sent a letter to Pentagon officials demanding answers and a relief plan for the sailors. Blumenthal expressed concern about “widespread reports of shortages of basic supplies, water contamination, plumbing issues, deteriorating mental health” and “deck safety concerns.”
