Nearly all Democratic members of the Senate Armed Services Committee are pressing Chairman Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) to convene a public hearing with Pentagon leadership on how the prolonged Iran war is straining U.S. forces, according to a letter led by Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) released Monday.
The lawmakers point to alarming reports of mental health emergencies and worsening conditions aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln, which has been deployed for over 260 days—including more than 200 consecutive days without a port call—after being redirected to the Middle East in January. Family members have described food and water shortages, broken plumbing, exhaustion, and multiple suicide attempts by sailors.
“Recent reports of sailors suffering from severe mental health issues amid deteriorating conditions on the USS Abraham Lincoln have only added to a disturbing pattern of failures to adequately plan and support our troops, who have been away from their families indefinitely as the Iran War drags on,” the letter states.
The Democrats are demanding that Defense Department officials explain how these extended deployments affect military readiness and outline plans to sustain troops as the administration struggles to find an exit from the conflict. The strain is not limited to the Navy; the letter notes that soldiers and airmen, including National Guardsmen and Reservists, face repeated extensions with no clear end date. Bases in the Middle East are overcrowded, with “too many people meet too little space and supplies,” the lawmakers write.
“Troops are suffering because of this Administration’s inability to end this war or make the environment safe enough for our servicemembers to be delivered the food, medication or supplies they need,” they add, calling the situation “unconscionable” and evidence of a “systemic failure of planning and adaptation.”
The push comes as the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran remains stalemated after diplomatic efforts collapsed. Tehran has weathered nearly seven months of U.S. military strikes, and Washington has shifted to economic pressure, with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent issuing a global warning to cut financial ties with Iran or face exclusion from the dollar system. A naval blockade in the Strait of Hormuz has already slashed Iranian oil exports.
Administration officials have pushed back on media portrayals of conditions aboard the Lincoln, insisting they were exaggerated, but they confirmed the carrier will soon be relieved by the USS George Washington. The Pentagon recently reported 756 U.S. troops wounded in the conflict, underscoring the human cost.
Separately, House Democrats have pressed the administration on the war's financial burden, and questions have been raised about leadership changes at Stars and Stripes. The military strain has also forced the cancellation of a major Marine exercise with South Korea, highlighting the global impact of the prolonged conflict.
