Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Thursday pushed back against reports of severe problems aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln, saying the situation has been “completely misrepresented” following accounts of sailors attempting to jump overboard during an unusually long deployment.
In an interview with Newsmax, Hegseth avoided directly addressing reported shortages of supplies, contaminated water, or declining mental health on the carrier. He also declined to give a timeline for the ship’s return to its home port in San Diego, from which it departed in November.
“Listen, we make sure that every ship, every crew, every captain has everything we can provide them at every single moment,” Hegseth said. “Some deployments are longer than others, and I have more respect and gratitude for those sailors than anybody. What they do in those high seas and those austere conditions with less port calls, it’s incredible.”
The defense secretary added that he wants service members “home as soon as everybody else” does, saying his commanders and service secretaries understand that, and that President Trump expects it.
The Pentagon has faced mounting scrutiny over the Lincoln’s deployment after family members last week told Navy leadership that several sailors had attempted or been prevented from attempting suicide in recent months. Navy officials have denied any increase in suicide attempts on the ship.
The reports prompted Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, to send a letter to Hegseth and acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao expressing “serious concerns” about the extended deployment. Blumenthal warned that the Lincoln’s situation may not be unique, noting that recent carrier deployments have repeatedly stretched beyond their original schedules, suggesting that extended deployments “may be becoming a feature rather than an exception” of the Navy’s force-generation model.
Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) on Thursday called for more oversight, demanding an official, bipartisan visit to the carrier. “It’s clear Donald Trump, who avoided active duty himself, couldn’t care less about the health and safety our service members. Congress needs to do its job and hold this administration accountable,” Gallego posted on X.
The Abraham Lincoln has been at sea for over 250 consecutive days, with at least 40 days of continuous combat operations in support of the Iran war, according to reports. Morale among the roughly 5,000 crew members is said to be low. The ship was redirected to the Middle East in January after leaving San Diego for a Pacific deployment, and was originally scheduled to return in May, but no new return date has been announced.
This is not the first time the carrier’s deployment has drawn criticism. Navy leaders have already faced families over the mental health crisis on the ship, and Blumenthal has demanded answers on the conditions. The situation has also become a political flashpoint, with Democrats using it to criticize the Trump administration’s handling of the military.
Hegseth’s comments come as he has been backed by Trump amid reports of a munitions shortage dispute, and as he returns to Panama to expand an anti-cartel coalition. The Pentagon has not yet responded to requests for comment on the senators’ calls for a visit.
