Democratic lawmakers are calling for answers after concerns were raised by families of sailors aboard USS Abraham Lincoln about the deteriorating living conditions and worsening mental health during the ship’s record-breaking deployment amid the war with Iran.
Deployment Conditions
The aircraft carrier has been deployed for more than 250 days, with over 5,000 sailors and Marines aboard, and has not made a port call in over 200 days. Reports have emerged of sailors attempting to jump overboard, citing interviews with sailors and families of those on board who described the impacts of the lengthy deployment.
Sen. Richard Blumenthal, a Democrat from Connecticut and a member of the Armed Services Committee, wrote to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and the Acting Secretary of the Navy to express “serious concern” about the increasing length of deployments and demand answers about living conditions aboard the carrier.
Concerns Raised
There have been widespread reports of shortages of basic supplies, water contamination, plumbing issues, deteriorating mental health, deck safety concerns, and disruptions in the mail system, which have caused many care packages in route to the ship to be lost in transit for months.
Around 200 family members of Lincoln crew members voiced concerns over mental health and safety conditions to Acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao and other senior officials during town hall meetings in San Diego.
Vice Adm. Joseph Cahill, commander of Naval Surface Forces, acknowledged the strain on sailors and their families, telling families: “We hear you loud and clear (regarding) the impact this has on families, on service members and the long-term ability of us to stand, sustain our forces’ health.”
Response from the Navy
The US Navy said, “We have not observed an increase in suicidal ideations or attempts aboard the ship. We take every service member’s well-being seriously and have religious, medical and mental health professionals available to assess and address concerns as they arise.”
Original reporting: KEYT (Ventura/Santa Barbara) — read the source article.
