US Commander Says Mental Health A Priority Aboard USS Lincoln

By Tony Czuczka

Aug 16, 2026 (Bloomberg) –A top US military commander said mental health is 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, moldy 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 statement posted on X. “This doesn’t mean that all is perfect,” and “service at sea for long periods isn’t for everyone,” he added.

President Donald Trump played down concern over conditions aboard the ship, which has a crew of 5,000, on Friday when asked whether families of those aboard are worried. “No, they’re not,” he told reporters, adding that the deployments had gone on “not nearly long enough.”

The US Navy typically plans carrier deployments of about seven months. The Lincoln has been at sea for about nine, including months of sustained combat operations in the war in Iran.

“I’ve long believed that mental health is another aspect of individual health and requires our attention just like physical health and spiritual health,” Cooper said in his statement after visiting the carrier. Senior leaders on the ship are “making mental health and crew resilience a leadership priority,” he said.

© 2026 Bloomberg L.P.

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This article contains reporting from Bloomberg, published under license.

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