CENTCOM chief visits USS Abraham Lincoln amid reports of poor morale, conditions

Published Aug 15, 11:40 PM UTC

Adm. Brad Cooper, head of U.S. Central Command, visited the USS Abraham Lincoln on Saturday as part of a 10-day Middle East tour, amid ongoing reports from families of sailors and Marines about food shortages, water issues, broken amenities, and low morale. The carrier is on its ninth month of deployment, having left port in November 2025, and has spent over 250 days at sea, including combat operations against Iran since late February. Reports from Military Times and Stars and Stripes detailed mental health incidents, including sailors attempting to jump overboard. The Navy confirmed it is sending additional resiliency counselors and social workers to the ship. Acting Secretary of the Navy Hung Cao acknowledged mental health cases but called some media reports 'dishonest.' Cooper, who previously visited in February, addressed the crew and later wrote in a Wall Street Journal op-ed that the crew is 'tired, but they continue to fire on all cylinders' and that earlier issues had been resolved. The USS George Washington is deploying to replace the Lincoln, which is set to return home soon.