Navy to swap USS Abraham Lincoln for George Washington in the Middle East
The USS Abraham Lincoln conducts blockade operations in the Arabian Sea on April 16. Navy photo. Get Task & Purpose in your inboxSign up for Task & Purpose Today to get the latest in military news each. . .
The USS Abraham Lincoln conducts blockade operations in the Arabian Sea on April 16. Navy photo. Get Task & Purpose in your inboxSign up for Task & Purpose Today to get the latest in military news each morning. The U. S. military reportedly plans tosend another aircraft carrier to the Middle Eastto replace the USS Abraham Lincoln, which has been at sea for nearly nine months. Several media outlets have reported that family members of the ship’s crew areworried about their loved ones’ morale and mental health. The Wall Street Journalfirst reported that the George Washington, which has been operating in the South China Sea, would replace the Lincoln as part of a scheduled deployment to the Middle East. Task & Purpose has independently confirmed the newspaper’s reporting is accurate. No information was immediately available on when the George Washington might arrive in the region to replace the Lincoln. Sinceleaving San Diego in November,the Lincoln has spent most of its deployment in theMiddle EastsupportingU. S. military operations against Iran. The carrier hasnot had a port call since December. Several family members of crew members toldMS NOWthat the Lincoln’s long deployment combined with food shortages and other quality of life issues aboard the ship haveundermined morale. Top Stories This WeekFamilies of Lincoln’s crew members also recently told Acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao that they are worried that the mental toll on their loved ones has increased the risk thatthey could try to harm themselves. BothMilitary TimesandStars and Stripeshave reported on incidents in which the ship’s sailors have tried to jump overboard during the current deployment. Concerns about the crew’s mental health come afterUSA Today reported in Aprilabout issues with the quality and quantity of food aboard the Lincoln and the amphibious assault shipUSS Tripoli,which was also deployed to the Middle East at the time. Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Daryl Caudledenied the reporting. Defense officials have similarly disputed more recent media reports about deteriorating morale and mental health among the sailors and Marines assigned to the Lincoln. Navy officials told Task & Purpose that they have “not identified an increase in reported suicidal ideation or suicide attempts”aboard the Lincoln. U. S. Central Command also wrote ina Thursday social media postthat the ship has “maintained among the highest crew reenlistment rates (84. 4%) of all aircraft carriers in the U. S. Navy. ”“No service members aboard the aircraft carrier have died, and the one Sailor who fell overboard Aug. 3 was quickly and safely recovered,” the command wrote in the post. The spouse of one of the ship’s crew members spoke toWe Are the Mightyabout the operational tempo’s impact on the crew, saying “They just need a break,” adding “There has been no — or very little — release valve for this pressure that has built up over the course of their deployment. ”If you are a currently serving sailor or Marine deployed aboard a ship and are affected by these types of issues, we’d like to hear from you. Please fill out the form below and tell us a bit about what your experience has been like, and anything else you think we need to know.