The USS Abraham Lincoln has been deployed for nearly nine months, with sailors and Marines aboard the aircraft carrier now spending more than 200 days without a port-call.
The unusually long deployment is raising concerns among military families and lawmakers, particularly as reports emerge about the mental health of some service members aboard the ship.
More than 5,000 sailors and Marines are serving aboard the Lincoln, which left San Diego in November for what was expected to be a roughly seven-month deployment to the East Pacific and South China Sea.
However, escalating tensions in the Middle East changed those plans.
Carl Schuster, a military analyst and former sailor spoke with NBC 10’s Jake Baum about the ship. (WJAR)
Now, more than 260 days into the deployment, concerns are mounting over the toll of the prolonged time at sea. Reports of at least one sailor going overboard have further focused attention on the mental health challenges facing the crew.
Carl Schuster, a military analyst and former sailor, said extended deployments can take a psychological toll on sailors.
“I think it’s exceptionally difficult for the crew,” Schuster said. “I never did more than 90 days at sea, and the minute you pass the 60-day mark, you are feeling tired of the deployment.”
He said that during his time in the Navy, sailors attempting to go overboard became a concern during lengthy deployments.
The situation has also drawn criticism from Democratic lawmakers, including Rhode Island Sen. Jack Reed, the ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee.
Reed said the administration did not adequately anticipate how long the operation could last.
“They thought, I think erroneously, that this would be a couple of weeks’ operation,” Reed said.
Reed also cited reports of problems aboard the ship, including broken toilets, water shortages and poor food.
“They deserve much better,” Reed said.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth pushed back on reports about conditions aboard the Lincoln, saying they have been “completely misrepresented.”
“We make sure that every ship, every crew, every captain has everything we can provide them, at every single moment,” Hegseth said.
Still, the length of the deployment remains a central concern.
The USS Abraham Lincoln. (DOD)
Schuster said a deployment lasting more than 200 days is extraordinary, describing it as a period longer than what the military has seen since World War II.
There could soon be relief for the Lincoln’s crew.
The USS George Washington is reportedly on its way to relieve the Lincoln in the Middle East. The Pentagon said the move is part of a pre-planned rotation.
For families waiting for their loved ones to return home, the anticipated relief could mark an important step after one of the longest carrier deployments in generations.