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Trump dismisses Lincoln concerns
President Donald Trump dismissed concerns about conditions aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln during its lengthy deployment as part of the US-Israel war with Iran, telling reporters “No, they’re not.”
““No, they’re not,” Trump said.”
When asked if the aircraft carrier had been deployed too long, Trump replied “No, no, no, not nearly enough.”
ABC News reported Trump said the USS Lincoln is moving “right now” and is being replaced “very shortly” by a new aircraft carrier headed to the Middle East to replace it.
Al Jazeera reported the Lincoln left in November from a base in San Diego, California, and has spent more than 250 days at sea without a port stop, with more than 5,000 sailors and Marines housed on board.
The BBC said the deployment, originally set to end in May, has been repeatedly extended and that the US was preparing to replace the carrier with the USS George Washington as part of a previously scheduled rotation plan.
Lawmakers press for oversight
Democratic lawmakers demanded answers about conditions aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln, with BBC reporting Connecticut Senator Richard Blumenthal listed “Shortages of basic supplies, water contamination, plumbing issues” and other hardships in a letter to Pete Hegseth.
BBC also reported Blumenthal wrote that “These reports warrant immediate attention,” and added a broader question about whether the Navy can sustain the operational tempo demanded of its carrier force.
Ruben Gallego called for a congressional delegation to visit the ship, and BBC quoted him saying “There is no reason to be denied access.”
Al Jazeera reported a US official told the network the Navy had “not observed an increase in suicidal ideations or attempts aboard the ship,” and said there were five chaplains, one psychologist, one social worker, three “behavioral health technicians,” and one “embedded integrated prevention coordination (EIPC) counselor” on board.
The BBC said Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth called reports of conditions “completely misrepresented” on Thursday, while multiple outlets reported the US was preparing to replace the carrier with the USS George Washington.
Replacement and next steps
Trump confirmed the USS Abraham Lincoln would be swapped out in the near future, saying “That ship is moving right now or very shortly, and it’s being replaced with another very similar ship.”
“it will likely take at least two weeks for the Lincoln to return to its home base of San Diego”
NBC News reported the USS George Washington is expected to replace the Lincoln in the Middle East, and said it could take several weeks for the replacement to be complete.
NBC News also reported it would likely take at least two weeks for the Lincoln to return to its home base of San Diego.
The BBC said the carrier left California in November for the South China Sea and was sent to the Middle East ahead of attacks on Iran in February, with the deployment repeatedly extended beyond its original May end date.
In parallel, Al Jazeera described diplomatic efforts to end the US-Israeli war with Iran as showing “no signs of breakthrough,” noting the war began with a US and Israel-led offensive on February 28 and that a June memorandum of understanding collapsed amid a dispute over the Strait of Hormuz.
