Big Number
272. That’s how many days the USS Abraham Lincoln has been deployed, after leaving its home port of San Diego last November. The ship has been at sea for most of this time. It made a brief stop in Guam in December, but most crew members were not allowed to go ashore, Stars and Stripes reported. It made another stop in Oman in July for supplies, the military publication reported, but sailors were restricted to a compound at port.
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Key Background
The USS Abraham Lincoln has been deployed since November 2025, making its nine-month deployment one of the longest since the Cold War. The carrier was originally deployed in the Pacific, but was moved to the Middle East in January to support the war in Iran, which began on Feb. 28. Multiple military publications have reported on conditions onboard the ship in recent weeks—the Navy Times reported multiple sailors have tried to leap overboard, while Stars and Stripes reported families of crewmembers pressed Acting Secretary of the Navy Hung Cao after receiving reports of deteriorating mental health from their family members. Rep. Mike Levin, D-Calif., later raised concerns about moldy showers, broken toilets, shortages of basic hygienic goods like soap and toothpaste, as well as rationing food—concerns also reported by other outlets that spoke with military family members.
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Contra
Despite the allegations of a mental health crisis, Cooper recently said the Abraham Lincoln had “among the lowest number of cases related to mental health” compared to the Navy’s other aircraft carriers. The admiral visited the aircraft carrier as part of a 10-day visit to the Middle East, where he said he spoke with crewmembers onboard the beleaguered vessel. In a guest opinion essay published by the Wall Street Journal, Cooper insisted “issues related to food, hot water and other concerns raised months ago were addressed by leadership and resolved,” but admitted the “crew is tired, but they continue to fire on all cylinders.” President Donald Trump also dismissed concerns about the ship, calling them a “CNN fake report” and insisting he heard a third-hand report from an admiral claiming the ship was “beautifully maintained and beautifully taken care of.”
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Further Reading
ForbesTrump Calls USS Abraham Lincoln’s Mental Health Crisis ‘Fake Report’By Mary Whitfill RoeloffsForbesStars And Stripes Editor Says He’s Worried About Military Censorship—After Pentagon Fires Him For ‘Insubordination’By Mary Whitfill Roeloffs