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Agence France-Presse

President Donald Trump dismissed concerns on Friday over living conditions and the mental health of service members on a US aircraft carrier deployed against Iran, while confirming the ship would soon rotate out.
Asked by reporters whether family members were worried about the situation on the USS Abraham Lincoln, Trump said “no, they’re not”.
Trump also rejected the idea that the ship – now at sea for nine months – had been deployed for too long. “No, no, no, not nearly enough,” he said.
The president confirmed reports that the ship was due to be swapped out with another aircraft carrier, as the United States remains locked in a stalemate with Iran over control of the Strait of Hormuz and the country’s nuclear programme.
“That ship is moving right now or very shortly and it’s being replaced with another very similar ship,” Trump said.

US media, including specialist military publications, have quoted multiple relatives of crew members saying living conditions have deteriorated on the Lincoln. There have also been reports of several suicide attempts.
“A small number of mental health cases were treated with no loss of life,” acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao said in a statement, blaming the media for “trying to paint our warriors as victims”.
Democratic lawmakers are calling for an investigation.
The massive nuclear-powered ship departed California in November 2025 for duty in the South China Sea and was diverted to the Middle East before US-Israeli attacks on Iran that began February 28.
Jonathan Schroden, chief research officer at the Centre for Naval Analyses, said that carrier strike groups are generally designed for six-month deployments for reasons including sailor welfare.
Media coverage of the families’ complaints creates an unwelcome new front for Trump in his attempt to sell the already unpopular war.
The Republican won a second term in 2024 partly on his insistence that he would not involve the United States in so-called Middle East “forever wars”. The Iran conflict has contributed to dragging down his poll numbers.

Among details emerging from accounts by sailors’ families was that two sailors had tried to jump overboard.
The US military has said that one sailor who fell into the sea on August 3 was recovered.
The ship has five chaplains, one psychologist, one social worker, a “prevention coordinator” and a dog named Captain Fathom to support crew morale and welfare.
“The Lincoln was extended because the mission demanded it,” Cao said. “Our success depends on how we adapt.”
If you have suicidal thoughts or know someone who is experiencing them, help is available. In Hong Kong, you can dial 18111 for the government-run Mental Health Support Hotline. You can also call +852 2896 0000 for The Samaritans or +852 2382 0000 for Suicide Prevention Services. In the US, call or text 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org for the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. For a list of other nations’ helplines, see this page.


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There have been reports of sailors jumping overboard, raising questions about their mental health during the nine-month-long deployment


There have been reports of sailors jumping overboard, raising questions about their mental health during the nine-month-long deployment.


Iran war: Trump dismisses concerns over conditions on USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}There have been reports of sailors jumping overboard, raising questions about their mental health during the nine-month-long deployment

There have been reports of sailors jumping overboard, raising questions about their mental health during the nine-month-long deployment