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USS Lincoln leaders making mental health ‘a priority’ during long deployment: US commander

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A top US military commander said mental health was a valid concern after meeting crew deployed on the USS Abraham Lincoln, where conditions aboard the aircraft carrier have led to complaints during its long deployment in the Iran war.

Admiral Brad Cooper’s visit to the carrier in the Arabian Sea followed outrage among family members about reports of food shortages, water contamination, mouldy showers and long shifts in wartime aboard the vessel, which has been deployed without a port call for more than 200 days.

Some family members have said the situation has deteriorated so badly that some sailors have attempted to throw themselves overboard.

The Lincoln “currently has among the lowest number of cases related to mental health” among the US Navy’s 11 active aircraft carriers, Cooper said in a social media statement. “This doesn’t mean that all is perfect” and “service at sea for long periods isn’t for everyone”, he added.

Cooper called his visit “awe-inspiring” and hailed the crew’s “resilience”.

An F/A-18E Super Hornet launches from the flight deck of Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln on July 31. Photo: US Navy/AFP

“I’ve long believed that mental health is another aspect of individual health and requires our attention just like physical health and spiritual health,” he said in his statement after visiting the carrier.

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