The USS Abraham Lincoln, the nearly year-deployed U.S. aircraft carrier that has spent months supporting U.S. military operations against Iran, is scheduled to dock in San Diego on Thursday afternoon.
It marks the end of a deployment that has been described as “one of the most intense and operationally consequential in modern times” and which was marked by a record period at sea, repeated deployment extensions and reports of supply shortages and deteriorating morale and mental health of some crew members.
The Lincoln left San Diego last November, originally bound for the Pacific. But it was redirected to the Middle East after the United States and Israel launched their war against Iran in late February. The carrier remained there until late August, when it was relieved by the USS George Washington and began its return voyage.
Earlier in August, the Lincoln’s deployment made headlines and came under scrutiny as reports began to surface of poor living conditions aboard the ship, including lack of supplies and water, plumbing problems, low morale and deteriorating mental health of the carrier’s approximately 5,000 personnel. Two major military newspapers also reported that sailors twice attempted to jump overboard, sparking concern among families and military health experts.
The reports sparked outrage among Democrats, while senior Trump administration officials responded. Pete Hegseth, the US secretary of defense, called the reports “completely distorted,” and when reporters asked Donald Trump if he thought the deployment had lasted too long, he replied, “Not long enough” — a comment that angered some naval families.
In a statement at the time, Adm. Brad Cooper, who heads U.S. Central Command, said that among the U.S. Navy’s 11 active aircraft carriers, the Lincoln had “one of the lowest numbers of mental health-related cases.” But he added that “that doesn’t mean everything is perfect.”
Cooper said a long deployment at sea “is uniquely difficult and challenging, and each of us, myself included, respond to stressors in different ways.”
Two weeks ago, as the Lincoln returned to San Diego, Hung Cao, the acting secretary of the Navy, admitted that eight servicemen from the Lincoln and the task force that accompanied it had attempted suicide.
Sara Jacobs, a Democrat representing California’s 51st District who visited the Lincoln in late September, said in a statement last week that while she was “relieved that the USS Abraham Lincoln will soon be returning to San Diego” and “can’t wait to welcome them home,” her “demand for accountability will not stop when they arrive in port.”
“I will continue to push for an (Office of Inspector General) investigation into these conditions and a House Armed Services Committee field hearing in San Diego to hear directly from these servicemembers,” she said. “We must prevent this crisis from happening again and ultimately end the war in Iran and bring all our troops home. »
On Wednesday, Hegseth toured the Lincoln before its return and congratulated the crew. He acknowledged that their deployment had not been “easy”.
“When you greet your families tomorrow, just convey my gratitude from the president and myself,” Hegseth said. “Let them know that their long wait, in our opinion, was in the service of a just and historic mission. »
During his speech, Hegseth announced that those aboard the ship would receive the Presidential Unit Citation, which the U.S. Army says is awarded to Armed Forces units “for extraordinary heroism in action against an armed enemy.”
Ahead of the Lincoln’s arrival Thursday afternoon, Blue Star Families, one of America’s largest nonprofit organizations supporting active military members, veterans and their families, said in a statement that “each return home is an important moment for military families.”
The organization said it “welcomes home the sailors of the USS Abraham Lincoln and wants each family to know they are not alone as they reconnect.”
In the coming weeks, Blue Star Families announced it will host appreciation days for Lincoln Sailors and their families, including several events next month in San Diego.
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