A Record-Length Deployment Nears Its End

The USS Abraham Lincoln, an aircraft carrier carrying roughly 5,000 sailors and Marines, has begun its journey back to its homeport in San Diego, according to a report by The New York Times, which was cited by Forbes. The ship's return follows a deployment that began on Nov. 21, 2025, and has lasted more than nine months — one of the longest since the Cold War, as Forbes noted.

The carrier was originally deployed to the Pacific but was redirected to the Middle East in January to support operations in the war against Iran, which began on Feb. 28, according to Forbes. The USS George Washington, which arrived in the Arabian Sea, has taken over the carrier's role, enabling the Lincoln's return, as reported by USA TODAY and the Springfield News-Leader.

The return comes after weeks of mounting concern about the mental health and living conditions aboard the ship. Multiple reports, including from Navy Times and Stars and Stripes, have detailed alleged suicide attempts and deteriorating morale, while family members and lawmakers have pressed for action.

Senators Demand Independent Review

Amid these reports, two influential Democratic senators have formally requested a Pentagon investigation into quality-of-life issues on Navy ships deployed in the standoff with Iran. In a letter shared exclusively with CNN, Sen. Patty Murray of Washington, vice chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, and Sen. Chris Coons of Delaware, the top Democrat on the committee's defense panel, asked Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao for "an immediate independent strategic review" of the Lincoln and USS Gerald R. Ford carriers, as well as the USS Benfold destroyer, which lost power for four days in the South China Sea after an engineering failure.

The senators wrote that the review "should examine readiness issues related to operations, manning, quality of life, including mental health, and culture on the ships as well as communications with the crews' families." They asked that the review provide recommendations "to improve future extended deployments for sailors and Marines."

CNN reported that the Ford recently completed a record-long deployment that included combat missions against Venezuela and Iran. The Lincoln, meanwhile, has had virtually no shore time since a December stopover in Guam.

Reported Conditions and Official Responses

Reports from Navy Times and Stars and Stripes, as cited by Forbes and the Virginian-Pilot, described multiple attempts by servicemembers to jump overboard. One wife told Stars and Stripes that her husband had texted her saying "he hopes he doesn't wake up tomorrow," and one parent reported their son saying "he and his shipmates constantly think about jumping off the ship just for relief."

Rep. Mike Levin, D-Calif., described conditions as "inhumane," citing moldy showers, broken toilets, shortages of soap and toothpaste, and rationed food. Rep. Jason Crow, D-Colo., warned that the mental "strain on our service members and their families is building week by week," as Forbes reported.

The crew has stepped foot on land only two days since Nov. 21 — once in Guam in December, where many were not allowed to disembark, and once in Oman in July, where those who could leave were restricted to a secure compound, according to Stars and Stripes, as cited by Forbes. The standard deployment length for a carrier is six months, according to Forbes, and the Lincoln's deployment has been extended several times.

Admiral Brad Cooper, commander of U.S. Central Command, visited the Lincoln during a 10-day trip to the Middle East and claimed in a statement that the ship had "among the lowest number of cases related to mental health" compared to the Navy's other aircraft carriers, while acknowledging "this doesn't mean that all is perfect," as Forbes reported. He also wished the crew "fair winds and following seas on the journey home."

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, however, has dismissed the reports, calling them "more fake news," as reported by Forbes. President Donald Trump similarly commented on Aug. 14 that families were not concerned about conditions and that, in his view, the deployment had "not gone on nearly long enough," according to USA TODAY.

The Navy's official stance, as reported by the Virginian-Pilot, is that it has not "identified an increase in reported suicidal ideation or suicide attempts," and that sailors have "continuous access to clean water, functional AC and healthy meal options."

A Port Call and a Journey Home

The Lincoln has a planned stop in Thailand in early September, according to texts sent to family members and shared with USA TODAY. Navy spokesperson Christopher Thomas declined to comment on future ship movements, citing operational security, and directed inquiries to the U.S. Pacific Fleet, which did not immediately respond.

USA TODAY reported in April on conditions aboard the Lincoln, sharing a photo of a meal that appeared to consist of a small handful of boiled carrots, a dry meat patty, and a slab of gray processed meat. Family members have expressed frustration about the lack of clear timelines for their relatives' return, and about 200 family members attended a town hall in San Diego this month to deliver a message to acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao that the Pentagon had broken their trust, as reported by the Virginian-Pilot.

Sen. Jack Reed, according to USA TODAY, described the deployment as "record-setting uninterrupted time at sea."

Perspectives

  • Pentagon and U.S. Central Command: Officials, including Adm. Brad Cooper and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, have disputed the severity of conditions on the Lincoln, with Cooper asserting that mental health cases are among the lowest in the fleet and Hegseth dismissing reports as "fake news."
  • Democratic lawmakers: Sens. Patty Murray and Chris Coons have called for an independent strategic review of deployments, while Reps. Mike Levin and Jason Crow have described inhumane conditions and warned of a building mental health crisis.
  • Families of crew members: Family members, as quoted in reports from Stars and Stripes and USA TODAY, have expressed deep concern about their relatives' well-being, citing alleged suicide attempts and deteriorating morale, and have demanded clearer timelines for return.