US admiral says mental health a 'priority' amid USS Lincoln conditions row
Following reports of poor conditions and alleged overboard attempts aboard the USS Lincoln, a US Navy admiral says crew mental health has become a leadership priority. The USS George Washington is reportedly set to relieve the carrier soon.
A US Pacific Fleet commander, Adm Cooper, has said mental health deserves the same attention as physical and spiritual wellbeing, addressing concerns over conditions aboard the aircraft carrier USS Lincoln. He praised the ship's leadership for making mental health and crew resilience a priority.
Reports last week in Military Times and Stars & Stripes described poor sanitation, infrequent port calls, broken plumbing and shortages of fresh food aboard the carrier, which has around 5,000 people on board. Families of sailors have voiced concern that mental health aboard the ship has been deteriorating, with some crew members reportedly attempting to jump overboard.
The US Navy had acknowledged supply challenges but denied there was a mental health crisis on the Lincoln. The deployment, originally due to end in May, has been repeatedly extended, and personnel have reportedly gone more than 200 consecutive days at sea without a port call.
Thirteen Democratic senators on the Senate Armed Services Committee sent a letter on Saturday to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, criticising the deployment's length as a "modern-day record" and demanding answers. Hegseth last week dismissed the reports as "completely misrepresented," while President Donald Trump rejected suggestions the sailors had spent too long at sea.
Maryland's Democratic Governor Wes Moore, an Army veteran, told CNN on Sunday the reported conditions were "heartbreaking" and called for the president to show more compassion. The USS George Washington is reportedly heading to relieve the Lincoln and could arrive in the region within about a week.
