Concerns grow over mental health and conditions on USS Abraham Lincoln

Family members and U.S. lawmakers have raised alarms regarding a mental health crisis and deteriorating living conditions aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln. The carrier has been at sea for over 250 consecutive days, setting a modern record for endurance, while deployed in the Middle East due to tensions with Iran. Military-focused media outlets reported multiple suicide attempts by sailors jumping overboard, alongside grievances regarding water quality, plumbing failures, and food shortages. Senator Richard Blumenthal has formally demanded answers from Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, while Senator Ruben Gallego requested a bipartisan Senate oversight visit to inspect the vessel.

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth dismissed the reports as "entirely false," asserting that the military provides all necessary support to crews regardless of mission duration. Meanwhile, U.S. officials announced that the USS George Washington is scheduled to replace the USS Abraham Lincoln in the region. This deployment shift follows pre-planned rotation cycles, though it coincides with growing congressional scrutiny into the welfare of the nearly 5,000 personnel currently serving on the Lincoln.