The USS Abraham Lincoln is officially departing the Middle East, marking the end of a nine-month deployment for the aircraft carrier and its approximately 5,000 crew members. A U.S. official confirmed the withdrawal on Thursday, noting that the vessel is expected to take roughly three weeks to complete its return journey to San Diego.
The deployment, which began when the ship left San Diego on November 21, was extended due to the ongoing conflict with Iran that escalated in February. Throughout this period, the carrier served as a critical launch point for thousands of aircraft sorties. The Japan-based USS George Washington has now arrived in the region to assume the mission.
Recent months have seen mounting pressure from families regarding the welfare of those on board, with reports surfacing about food shortages, sanitation issues, and declining mental health. These concerns, highlighted in outlets such as the Military Times and Stars and Stripes, eventually reached Capitol Hill. However, the administration has pushed back against these characterizations; President Trump suggested the ship had not been deployed for an excessive duration, while Acting Secretary of the Navy Hung Cao described media coverage of the conditions as “dishonest.”
In an effort to address the situation, U.S. Central Command Adm. Brad Cooper visited the vessel over the weekend. Acknowledging the intensity of the mission, Cooper stated that deployment at sea is “uniquely challenging and tough, and every single one of us, including me, reacts to stressors in different ways.” He emphasized that mental health requires the same level of attention as physical and spiritual well-being, though he did not confirm specific incidents of crisis.
The Navy has maintained that it has not observed an increase in reported suicide attempts or suicidal ideation among the crew. Officials are currently investigating an August 3 incident involving a sailor who fell overboard and was subsequently recovered.
For families waiting at home, the return is long-awaited. Jefferson Kelley, whose son Jackson is currently serving on his first deployment, expressed the deep strain of the separation. “What’s going through my mind as a parent is that need to want to be there, to want to be there for your child,” Kelley stated. “I would get on a plane or helicopter tonight to get shipped out to the Lincoln if it meant bringing him home to his mom and his siblings and his family.” The report also notes that charlie D’Agata and Eleanor Watson contributed to this report. The report also notes that u.S., South Korea cut short their joint military drills at Trump’s direction. The report also notes that executes warrants in sexual misconduct probe, fBI seizes Swalwell’s devices. The report also notes that dOJ to stop using outside experts to help vet competitive grant applicants.
Source: CBS News
