President Donald Trump on Friday pushed back on reports that family members of sailors and troops aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln are concerned about deteriorating conditions on the aircraft carrier, as scrutiny surrounding its extended deployment continues to mount.
“No, they’re not,” Trump told reporters when asked about reports highlighting conditions aboard the Lincoln, one of two U.S. aircraft carriers operating in the Middle East.
Trump also confirmed that the Lincoln will be replaced by the USS George Washington.
“That ship is moving right now, or very shortly and is being replaced with another very similar ship,” Trump said.
The USS Abraham Lincoln deployed from San Diego in November and has now remained at sea without interruption for more than 240 days.
Asked whether the carrier’s deployment had continued for too long, Trump rejected the suggestion.
“No. Not nearly long enough,” the president said.
Approximately 5,000 sailors and Marines are aboard the Lincoln. Its deployment, which began Nov. 21, has been extended as part of U.S. military operations in the war against Iran.
The Pentagon has dispatched the USS George Washington to the Middle East to replace the Lincoln. The George Washington was spotted Thursday crossing the Strait of Malacca as it traveled toward the region.
Reports describing poor conditions aboard the Lincoln, including concerns about sailors’ mental health and challenges involving supplies, have prompted Democratic lawmakers to demand an investigation.
Other lawmakers have pressed the Navy to permit a bipartisan congressional visit to the aircraft carrier so members of Congress can examine the conditions themselves.
Those demands followed reports that some sailors had attempted to jump overboard. Navy officials, however, have denied that there has been an increase in suicide attempts aboard the vessels.
Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, raised broader concerns about the length of recent Navy deployments in a letter to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao.
“The Lincoln is not an isolated case,” Blumenthal wrote, arguing that recent carrier deployments have repeatedly gone beyond their originally anticipated durations.
The Connecticut Democrat said the pattern suggests extended deployments could be becoming a regular part of the Navy’s force-generation model rather than an exception.
Hegseth pushed back Thursday against reports surrounding the Lincoln, saying the conditions aboard the carrier have been “completely misrepresented.”
The defense secretary said military leaders work to ensure ships, crews and captains receive everything officials can provide.
“Some deployments are longer than others, and I have more respect and gratitude for those sailors than anybody,” Hegseth said during a visit to Panama.
Hegseth also praised the sailors for operating under difficult circumstances, including extended periods at sea and fewer port calls.
“What they do in those high seas and those austere conditions with less port calls, it’s incredible,” he said.
The Lincoln is now set to leave the region as the George Washington moves in to take its place.
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