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Lincoln’s long deployment
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Thursday that reports about poor conditions aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln were "completely misrepresented," as the aircraft carrier has been at sea since November 2025 and has been in the Middle East since January supporting the U.S. war with Iran.
“reports about poor conditions aboard aircraft carrier the USS Abraham Lincoln in the Middle East were "completely misrepresented"”
The BBC reported that lawmakers demanded answers after conditions on the ship for more than 250 days raised alarms about food shortages, broken plumbing, and exhaustion, and it said the deployment was originally set to end in May but has been repeatedly extended.
The BBC also said a U.S. official told the BBC that earlier this month a sailor went overboard and was recovered by a helicopter, treated by the medical department and transferred off the ship for further care, with the circumstances under investigation.
In Panama on Thursday, Hegseth told reporters, "We make sure every ship, every crew, every captain has everything we can provide them at every single moment," and he added that some deployments are longer than others.
The BBC further reported that the USS George Washington was being prepared to replace the Lincoln as part of a previously scheduled rotation plan, with no return date announced for the Lincoln.
Lawmakers press for answers
Senate Armed Services Committee member Richard Blumenthal demanded information about the extended deployment, writing that there were "widespread reports of shortages of basic supplies, water contamination, plumbing issues, deteriorating mental health, deck safety concerns and disruptions in the mail system".
The BBC reported that Blumenthal listed those hardships in a letter to Hegseth, and it said fellow Democratic Senator Ruben Gallego called for a congressional delegation to visit the ship and "conduct oversight investigation into this horrible situation".
In Reuters’ account, Blumenthal’s letter also warned that the Lincoln is not an isolated case, writing that "The Lincoln is not an isolated case" and that extended deployments may be becoming a feature rather than an exception.
Reuters also reported that when asked about the conditions, White House spokesperson Olivia Wales said President Donald Trump and Hegseth were committed to ensuring the U.S. military was "equipped with the resources necessary to counter any threat to the United States".
The ABC News account said Blumenthal’s letter requested responses about the Navy’s plan for sustaining carrier strike groups in the Middle East for the next 12 to 24 months and about who authorized extensions of the Lincoln’s deployments.
Replacement and readiness stakes
NBC News reported that the Pentagon plans to replace one of two aircraft carriers deployed in the Middle East — the USS Abraham Lincoln — amid privately raised concerns inside the Pentagon and the White House about low morale and widespread fatigue among American service members.
“the Pentagon plans to replace one of two aircraft carriers deployed in the Middle East — the USS Abraham Lincoln”
The BBC said the USS George Washington was expected to replace the Lincoln as part of a previously scheduled rotation plan, and it described the Lincoln as having about 5,000 people living aboard.
Reuters reported that a U.S. official said the George Washington aircraft carrier is heading to the region with the intention of replacing the Lincoln, and that move was pre-planned.
CNN said a sailor went overboard earlier this month off the USS Abraham Lincoln, and it reported that the sailor was rescued within an hour, medically evaluated, and transferred off ship for follow-on care.
In the Reuters account, Hegseth’s remarks came as he rejected the reporting and as a U.S. official said the Navy was prioritizing "mission-critical supplies" with "First food, then hygiene items, then mail," while the Navy said it had not identified an increase in reported suicidal ideation or suicide attempts aboard the ship.
