US Navy to Rotate Aircraft Carriers in Middle East Amid Concerns Over Crew Welfare

The United States military is preparing to replace the USS Abraham Lincoln with the USS George Washington in a scheduled rotation of duties to the Middle East. The move comes as concerns mount over the living conditions and psychological strain on the crew of the USS Abraham Lincoln.

Several US officials said the USS George Washington will take over the mission from the USS Abraham Lincoln in the region. The step was taken as reports of food shortages, a lack of personal supplies, and clogged sewage systems on the carrier drew the attention of members of the US Congress.

A US official on Thursday also confirmed that a crew member fell overboard from the USS Abraham Lincoln in early August, but the individual was quickly rescued. The USS Abraham Lincoln has been deployed for more than 250 days and has not made a port call in 200 days. According to Senator Richard Blumenthal, a Democrat, this sets a record for the longest consecutive number of days at sea for a US aircraft carrier.

In a letter to Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth and Acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao, Blumenthal highlighted the various issues facing the crew. “There have been widespread reports of basic supply shortages, water contamination, sewage problems, deteriorating mental health, flight deck safety issues, and mail system disruptions that have caused many care packages for the crew to be lost in transit for months,” Blumenthal wrote.

Republican Representative Marlin Stutzman said he would request an update from the Pentagon and the administration regarding the conditions. “At the end of the day, we know that those who serve need to feel comfortable knowing they are being taken care of and looked after,” Stutzman said in an interview on Thursday.

However, Defence Secretary Hegseth dismissed the circulating reports about the conditions on the USS Abraham Lincoln. Speaking to reporters from a US Navy vessel in Panama City, Panama, on Thursday, Hegseth said the concerns had been mischaracterised. “We make sure every ship, every crew, and every commander gets everything we can give them at all times,” Hegseth stated regarding the reports.

Hegseth also asserted that the US is capable of maintaining a blockade of Iranian ports indefinitely because it has the ability to rotate warships in and out of the operational area.

US officials said the conditions experienced by the USS Abraham Lincoln are not actually unusual for a wartime deployment. However, some acknowledged that months without a port call can place significant strain on personnel. In a normal deployment, an aircraft carrier would typically make port calls to replenish logistics and provide the crew with an opportunity to rest and recover.

For comparison, the USS Gerald R. Ford spent 11 months at sea before returning to base earlier this year, marking the longest deployment for a US aircraft carrier since the collapse of the Soviet Union. During the Iran war in March, that ship made a brief stop in Split, Croatia, for maintenance and to give sailors a rest, but the long deployment and challenging conditions still took a toll on the military personnel aboard.

One US official said the rotation of the USS Abraham Lincoln out of the Middle East had actually been planned before the concerns about the crew’s living conditions emerged. The changeover comes as President Donald Trump continues to seek to increase economic pressure on Iran, including through a prolonged blockade of Iranian ports by a large number of US warships.

The USS Abraham Lincoln began its routine deployment in November and was then diverted to the Middle East in January ahead of the US war against Iran. The carrier and its warplanes played a key role in the US bombing campaign, named Operation Epic Fury, and subsequently participated in the US blockade of Iranian ports.

A US Navy official stated that the service has not seen an increase in mental health issues aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln. The official said the Navy has not found an increase in suicidal ideation or suicide attempts on the ship. The Navy takes the welfare of every service member seriously and provides chaplains, medical personnel, and mental health professionals to assess and address any issues that arise.

The USS George Washington, which will replace the USS Abraham Lincoln, is based in Japan and has been operating in the South China Sea in recent weeks. The ship also recently made a port visit to Vietnam. The USS George Washington’s deployment in the Asia-Pacific region is part of the US strategy to counterbalance China’s influence in the region. The carrier was recently tracked transiting the Strait of Malacca heading west, accompanied by several guided-missile destroyers.