President said nine months at sea \u2018not nearly long enough\u2019 even as families call for attention to mental health crisis<\/p>\n
US navy veterans and military health experts express concern over USS Abraham Lincoln sailors<\/a><\/p>\n Donald Trump has downplayed concerns about US sailors enduring a record-setting deployment of nearly nine months onboard the USS Abraham Lincoln on Friday, saying the deployment was \u201cnot nearly long enough\u201d as concerns mount over mental health and supply issues onboard the aircraft carrier.
The US president made the comments during a brief exchange with reporters before flying to New York<\/a> for an event highlighting falling violent crime rates across the US.
\u201cThat ship is moving right now, or very shortly, and it\u2019s being replaced with another very similar ship,\u201d Trump said when asked about the lengthy deployment. When asked by reporters whether family members were worried about the situation, the president claimed: \u201cNo, they\u2019re not.\u201d
The Lincoln has been supporting the US war against Iran, and several Democratic lawmakers are pressing the Pentagon for accountability over conditions onboard the carrier. The defense secretary, Pete Hegseth<\/a>, on Thursday said those conditions had been \u201ccompletely misrepresented\u201d.
Military families and US Congress members have called attention to the intensifying mental health crisis for those onboard the USS Abraham Lincoln, as its 5,000 sailors and marines endure a record-breaking deployment at sea tied to the war with Iran.
The scrutiny comes as the navy has reimposed a blockade<\/a> on Iranian ports in the crucial strait of Hormuz, even as hostilities between the US and Iran have calmed in recent weeks. The Trump administration has offered no clarity on how it intends to wind down the war, while Hegseth has suggested the US military can maintain the blockage of Iranian ports \u201cindefinitely\u201d.
Another aircraft carrier, the USS George Washington, left port in Da Nang, Vietnam, last week and is expected to replace the Lincoln, one of two aircraft carriers currently deployed in the Middle East.
Two leading specialist military papers, the Navy Times<\/a> and Stars and Stripes<\/a>, reported that there have been multiple attempts by sailors to jump overboard<\/a> as poor conditions and mental stresses on the Lincoln reach a breaking point in its ninth month at sea.
One sailor succeeded in early August, a US official confirmed. \u201cThe sailor was quickly recovered by an air wing search and rescue helicopter, treated by Abraham Lincoln\u2019s medical department, and transferred off ship for follow-on care.\u201d
Worried families expressed their concerns about loved ones onboard the Lincoln at an emotional town hall meeting with navy leaders in San Diego last week, Stars and Stripes reported. One spouse among the 200 or so family members said that her husband had texted her that day saying \u201che hopes he doesn\u2019t wake up tomorrow\u201d.
The US navy said it has \u201cnot observed an increase in suicidal ideations or attempts aboard the ship\u201d, but declined to provide data, citing operational security and patient privacy concerns.
The Lincoln is \u201coperating in a highly contested environment where traditional supply hubs in the Middle East were disrupted by combat actions\u201d, the US official said, adding that navy leaders had \u201cprioritized mission-critical supplies: first food, then hygiene items, then mail\u201d.
\u201cCurrent reports from the ship confirm continuous access to clean water, functional [air conditioning], and healthy meal options,\u201d the official claimed.
In a statement<\/a> released on Friday, Hung Cao, the acting secretary of the navy, similarly downplayed the reports, saying that \u201csailors and marines are expected to dig deep\u201d and accused the media of \u201ctrying to paint our warriors as victims\u201d.
The statement acknowledged that a \u201csmall number\u201d of mental health cases were \u201ctreated with no loss of life\u201d, and added that \u201cthere is no question our young men and women have been pushed to their limits\u201d.<\/p>\n