WASHINGTON: USS Abraham Lincoln conditions drew fresh scrutiny after Admiral Brad Cooper visited the carrier amid concerns over crew welfare and its prolonged deployment.
The US Central Command chief said long deployments at sea are difficult. He also stressed that mental health deserves the same attention as physical health.
Families have raised concerns about sanitation, food supplies and morale aboard the carrier. The crew has remained deployed for about nine months. A typical deployment lasts about six months, according to the supplied report.
The US Navy said it had not recorded an increase in reported suicidal ideation or suicide attempts aboard the ship. It is still investigating an August 3 incident involving a sailor who fell overboard and was recovered.
Read: USS Lincoln Mental Health Concerns Draw Command Review
President Donald Trump of the United States also rejected reports of food shortages. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth called broader accounts of conditions aboard the carrier “completely misrepresented.”
Read: USS Lincoln Deployment: Trump Dismisses US Families’ Concerns
Lawmakers from both parties have demanded more information. Republican Representative Don Bacon called for congressional oversight.
Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal requested a relief plan and answers on sanitation, supplies and mental health.
Read: Trump urges lawmakers to tackle bipartisan immigration reform
A US official previously told CBS News that the USS George Washington was heading to the region to replace the Lincoln. The supplied report did not give a firm handover date.
