Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Thursday that reports about conditions aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier had been “completely misrepresented”, after claims that sailors on the ship attempted to jump overboard during a long deployment.
Speaking to Newsmax, Hegseth said the Pentagon works to ensure ships and crews have support “at every single moment”. He did not address specific reporting about supply shortages, concerns about water quality, or claims of deteriorating mental health on the carrier. He also did not say when the vessel would return to the United States after leaving San Diego in November.
“What we do is we make sure that every ship, every crew, every captain has everything we can provide them at every single moment,” Hegseth said. He added that some deployments last longer than others and expressed support for the sailors on board while they operate “with less port calls” in difficult conditions.
Hegseth said he wants service members to return home “as soon as everybody else” and added that commanders, service secretaries and President Donald Trump share that expectation.
Families raise concerns as ship remains at sea
The Pentagon’s handling of the Abraham Lincoln’s deployment has faced increased scrutiny after family members of sailors serving on the ship told Navy leadership last week that several service members had tried to jump overboard or had been prevented from doing so in recent months.
_underway_in_the_Atlantic_Ocean_on_30_January_2019_(190130-N-PW716-1312).jpg.b4bcc7fdf819b9f348af65d8063ac531.jpg.d8c3b3ba1ebdbb088d1796fb40c4adb4.jpg)
USS Abraham Lincoln
Navy officials have denied that there has been an increase in suicide attempts on the carrier.
The reports led Sen. Richard Blumenthal, a Democrat from Connecticut and a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, to send a letter to Hegseth and acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao raising “serious concerns” about the length of the carrier’s deployment.
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Blumenthal wrote that the Lincoln is not an isolated example and that carrier deployments have repeatedly exceeded their planned durations. He said this pattern suggested that extended deployments may be becoming part of the Navy’s approach to generating forces rather than an exception.
Calls for oversight and bipartisan inspection
On Thursday, Sen. Ruben Gallego, a Democrat from Arizona, called for additional scrutiny of conditions aboard the Abraham Lincoln and urged an official, bipartisan visit to the ship.
Gallego said in a post on X that Congress should hold the administration accountable.
Morale concerns have also been reported by observers, with the ship’s roughly 5,000 personnel reportedly having spent more than 250 consecutive days at sea. The reporting also said the crew has had at least 40 days of continuous combat operations in support of the Iran war.
Redirection to Middle East extends schedule
The aircraft carrier left San Diego for a Pacific deployment in November and was redirected to the Middle East in January. It was originally due to return in May, but no publicly announced return date has been provided.
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14 August 2026
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