US President Donald Trump dismissed concerns about the USS Lincoln deployment Friday at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland.
He said it was “not nearly long enough” despite family reports of fatigue, shortages and mental-health strain. Joint Base Andrews lies outside Washington, the United States capital, in North America.
The White House published video of Trump’s Aug. 14 remarks but did not provide the event’s exact time. Trump said the aircraft carrier would move soon and another similar ship would replace it.
The Associated Press reported that the USS George Washington was heading to the Middle East to relieve the Lincoln. Acting Secretary of the Navy Hung Cao said Friday that the Lincoln would return home under a planned rotation.
An official Navy statement listed 266 deployed days, including 200 in a combat zone. AP described its more than 240 consecutive days at sea as a record.
Read: US Aircraft Carrier Heads to the Middle East to Relieve Lincoln
Cao acknowledged a small number of crew mental-health cases. He said medical staff treated them without any loss of life. Meal plans changed when fresh supplies were unavailable, but the crew missed no meals, he added.
NBC News interviewed relatives who described limited supplies, worsening morale and repeatedly delayed return dates.
A US official told the network that a sailor went overboard in early August. Rescuers recovered the sailor before a transfer for further medical care, the official said.
The Navy statement did not separately address reported plumbing, hygiene-supply or mail problems. Cao accused media reports of wrongly portraying service members as victims.
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Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut requested deployment, supply and crew-welfare records. His Aug. 12 letter said the USS Lincoln deployment began Nov. 21, 2025, with an initial seven-month schedule.
Blumenthal requested answers by Aug. 27. Democratic Senator Ruben Gallego of Arizona also sought a bipartisan oversight visit to the carrier.
