WASHINGTON (AP) — The Pacific-based aircraft carrier USS George Washington has begun heading toward the Middle East as reports have emerged of mental health and supply issues aboard the long-deployed USS Abraham Lincoln. The Lincoln has been supporting the US war against Iran, and its deployment has included a record uninterrupted time at sea of more than 240 days. Several Democratic lawmakers are pushing to hold the Pentagon accountable for conditions aboard the aircraft carrier, which Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Thursday were “completely misrepresented.” Prolonged aircraft carrier deployments during the Iran conflict have raised concerns about the impact on service members who are away from home for long periods, as well as the increasing strain on the ship and its equipment. While renewed hostilities between the United States and Iran have calmed in recent weeks, the Navy has reimposed a blockade of Iranian ports in the crucial Strait of Hormuz, and the Trump administration has offered no clarity on how it intends to end the war. Hegseth told reporters that the United States can maintain the blockade “indefinitely.” A new aircraft carrier is heading west from the Asia-Pacific. The USS George Washington set sail from the port of Da Nang, Vietnam, last week, according to a Navy statement. Since then, the aircraft carrier, along with a cruiser and a destroyer, have been seen crossing the Singapore Strait. A Navy official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to detail sensitive details of the ship, confirmed that the Washington was in the Strait of Malacca, which links the Pacific and Indian Oceans and puts the aircraft carrier on a course toward the Indian Ocean. The Wall Street Journal previously reported that the Washington would replace the Lincoln as one of two aircraft carriers currently stationed in the Middle East. The move would leave Pacific waters without the presence of a US aircraft carrier for an unknown period of time. The Trump administration views China, the dominant power in the region, as “an established force” that only needs to be deterred from dominating the United States or its allies and not the main global adversary it was under the Biden administration. The Lincoln originally deployed on November 21 from San Diego and arrived in the Middle East in January, before the start of the war against Iran on February 28. The Navy admitted that the conflict created a “highly contested environment where traditional supply centers in the Middle East were disrupted by combat actions.” That, in turn, caused shortages and loss of mail aboard the aircraft carrier, the Navy said in a statement. “Leadership prioritized mission-critical supplies: first food, then hygiene items, then mail,” the statement said, before assuring that sailors aboard the ship now have access to clean water and “healthy meal options.” Democrats call for scrutiny as Pentagon defends conditions aboard USS Abraham Lincoln. Democratic lawmakers are calling for investigations, more information and greater visibility into conditions aboard the ship, which was originally scheduled to return home in May. “Lincoln’s extended deployment is especially significant because it occurs in the context of ongoing military operations against Iran and the possibility that significant U.S. naval forces will be required in the region for an extended period,” said Connecticut Sen. Richard Blumenthal, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee. he wrote in a letter to Navy leaders asking for answers to several questions. Arizona Sen. Ruben Gallego, a Marine Corps veteran, said on social media that he is looking to bring a bipartisan delegation on an official oversight visit to the ship and that the way the sailors are being treated “is not only disgusting; it’s dangerous.” Hegseth told reporters during a visit to Panama that he wants Lincoln’s sailors to return home and crews to rotate as quickly as possible, but rejected reports of problems on board. “We make sure every ship, every crew, every captain has everything we can give them at every moment. Some deployments are longer than others, and I have more respect and gratitude for those sailors than anyone else. What they do on the high seas in those austere conditions with fewer port calls is incredible.” The Navy’s air and surface forces vowed to do everything possible to relieve the carrier. MS NOW previously reported on the meeting. When reports of food shortages aboard the ship first emerged in April, the Navy responded, calling those reports “false.” Reports of mental health issues and more aboard the ship Since then, reports have emerged that sailors on the Lincoln are struggling with mental health issues. The Navy said in its statement that it “has not observed an increase in suicidal ideation or attempts aboard the ship,” but officials declined to provide data, citing concerns about operational safety and patient privacy. The Navy official said a sailor aboard the Lincoln fell overboard in early August, but the person quickly recovered, was treated by the ship’s medical department and transferred off the ship for follow-up care. The official did not say whether it was considered a suicide attempt. Other airlines have also had long hauls that have raised concerns about morale. The USS Gerald R. Ford returned home in mid-May after an 11-month deployment, the longest since the Vietnam War, in which it supported the United States’ war with Iran and the capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro. During its deployment, Ford experienced a laundry fire that forced the carrier to turn around and return to the Mediterranean Sea for repairs and left hundreds of sailors without a place to sleep. with a series of setbacks on ships fighting Houthi rebels in Yemen in 2024 and 2025, including the aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman on a longer-than-expected deployment.___Associated Press writer Ben Finley contributed to this report.___EDITOR’S NOTE: This story includes discussion of suicide. If you or someone you know needs help, the US National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline is available by calling or texting 988. There is also an online chat at 988lifeline.org.
