Admiral Claims USS Abraham Lincoln’s Mental Health Cases Are Relatively Low—Despite Reported Crisis

Aug 17, 2026 02:49 AM - 1 hour ago 4

Topline

Admiral Brad Cooper, the commandant of U.S. Central Command, called a caller sojourn to the USS Abraham Lincoln “awe-inspiring” successful a connection Sunday, while claiming the craft bearer supporting the warfare against Iran has comparatively debased cases of intelligence wellness issues compared to different craft carriers—despite reports astir a intelligence wellness situation connected the ship.

The USS Abraham Lincoln connected April 16, 2026 successful the Arabian Sea.

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Key Facts

The 5,000 unit members of the USS Abraham Lincoln person been astatine oversea for much than 260 days arsenic of this week successful 1 of the longest craft bearer deployments successful modern history, and families and legislators person warned of a worsening intelligence wellness situation onboard that has reportedly seen aggregate attempts by servicemembers to jump disconnected the ship.

In a statement connected Sunday, Cooper said the USS Abraham Lincoln had “among the lowest number of cases related to intelligence health” compared to the Navy’s 11 different craft carriers—although he besides admitted “this doesn’t mean that each is perfect.”

CENTCOM previously confirmed Cooper visited the craft bearer arsenic portion of a 10-day travel to the Middle East he completed connected Saturday, which included gathering pinch sailors and Marines onboard.

Multiple subject publications and Congressmen person sounded the siren astir conditions aboard the 37-year-old, nuclear-powered craft carrier, which is successful its ninth period astatine oversea and 5th period of combat operations against Iran.

The USS George Washington, which is based successful Japan, will switch the Lincoln, the Wall Street Journal reported past week citing sources acquainted pinch the matter, but it’s not clear precisely when.

The Lincoln’s deployment started connected Nov. 21 and was expected to extremity successful May, but it has been extended respective times pinch nary announced extremity date.

The nationalist has been made alert of conditions onboard including rationed nutrient and surgery amenities, but Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has dismissed the accounts arsenic “more clone news” and did truthful again connected Thursday, saying the reports "completely misrepresented" conditions onboard.

The Navy has not responded to Forbes’ petition for comment.

NEWS PEG

President Donald Trump connected Friday brushed disconnected concerns astir reported intelligence wellness issues among the ship’s crew, saying its deployment has been “not astir agelong enough.”

Key background

The USS Abraham Lincoln, which functions arsenic a mobile aerial guidelines astatine sea, near its homeport successful San Diego connected Nov. 21 for a regular Pacific deployment. The bearer was redirected to the Middle East successful January, up of the U.S. and Israel's attacks connected Iran, and has been stationed successful the Arabian Sea ever since. The unit of the USS Abraham Lincoln has stepped ft connected onshore only 2 days since leaving San Diego, according to independent subject publication Stars and Stripes—one successful Guam successful December (where galore sailors were not allowed to disembark) and 1 re-stocking extremity successful Oman successful July, wherever sailors who could time off the vessel were restricted to a unafraid compound wrong the port. Officials person been incapable to show families erstwhile the Lincoln will return location and 1 seasoned told Stars and Stripes "uncertainty" complete erstwhile a deployment will extremity tin return a "significant toll" connected servicemembers. One woman told the outlet her hubby had texted her saying “he hopes he doesn’t aftermath up tomorrow,” and 1 genitor told the outlet their sailor boy reported "he and his shipmates perpetually deliberation astir jumping disconnected the vessel conscionable for relief." The Navy Times, an independent news outlet that covers the U.S. Navy, reported aggregate servicemembers person attempted to jump from the bearer and Stars and Stripes besides reported connected thwarted termination attempts onboard. Rep. Mike Levin,D-Calif., has said servicemembers are dealing pinch inhumane beingness conditions connected the vessel and Rep. Jason Crow ,D-Colo., has warned the intelligence "strain connected our work members and their families is building week by week."

CRUCIAL QUOTE

"Moldy showers, surgery toilets, laundry down for weeks, agelong stretches pinch nary basking water, a repast that came down to half a cup of atom and 2 tortillas," Levin said of life aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln. “No soap, deodorant aliases toothpaste.”

BIG NUMBER

Six months. That had been the modern-day standard deployment for the Navy’s bearer onslaught groups, but excessively fewer successful work and excessively galore hotspots person led to progressively agelong terms. The USS Gerald R. Ford, the largest and astir precocious craft bearer ever built, holds the modern deployment grounds of 326 days astatine sea. Its deployment ended successful May.