The USS Abraham Lincoln and Carrier Strike Group Three (CSG 3) deployed from San Diego on November 21, 2025. Originally, CSG 3’s mission was to conduct operations in the South China Sea. After President Trump and Prime Minister Netanyahu attacked Iran in February, CSG 3 was re-directed to the Middle East. Many of the current, severe challenges facing the Lincoln began when Iran retaliated for our attacks on Tehran by attacking our Navy base in Bahrain, which served as a major logistics hub in the region. This led to basic supplies being cut off to the Lincoln. President Trump was warned Iran could retaliate, yet he dismissed these concerns and has never presented Congress with a clear strategy to indicate he and his Administration thought through these scenarios and had plans in place to ensure the safety and wellbeing of our troops.
The average length of a Navy deployment at sea is six months. Typically, aircraft carriers periodically pull into a port to resupply and give the crew a chance to rest and regroup for several days. These stops can be requested when a crew has been at sea for at least 45 days. If things were operating normally, the Lincoln would have had at least 5 port stops by now. Instead, they've been at sea since the war in Iran began and had just one port day in December. That strains the performance of the ship and its crew. Families have recently sounded the alarm regarding the conditions onboard.
Reported conditions include moldy showers, broken toilets, laundry down for weeks, long stretches with no hot water, certain meals that consisted only of half a cup of rice and two tortillas, and lack of adequate hygiene products including soap, toothpaste, and deodorant. Even more heartbreaking are the reports that a Sailor jumped overboard due to these conditions. Several other military families are also reporting that other servicemembers considered jumping overboard and one person said their family member has lost 65 pounds since the start of their deployment.
The families of those onboard the USS Lincoln are deeply frustrated over the lack of transparency and answers, especially given that they still don’t know when their loved ones will return home. A member of my staff was present at a town hall in Coronado this month and heard heartbreaking stories directly from the families of these servicemembers.
This disastrous situation isn't just putting our national security and readiness for war right now at risk. It's hurting our ability to recruit and retain the people we need to serve in our Armed Forces down the line. When I was on the Armed Services Committee early in my time in Congress, I learned a lot about how important it is to make our troops more resilient by paying closer attention to their mental and physical health. When we invest time and resources to train a servicemember, we want them to serve for a long time. And we need people to continue to sign up to serve in our all-volunteer military. We want people to aspire to serve our country and be treated well during and after their service. This extended deployment goes against everything we ought to stand for as a nation and could discourage the people we need to step up and serve for years to come.
We've already lost 18 servicemembers to this unauthorized war. Now, it's putting the lives of the USS Lincoln crew on the line. The Trump Administration has failed to relay timely information or provide any clear update for when this carrier will be home. Secretary Hegseth said that reports surrounding USS Lincoln were “completely misrepresented,” despite acting Secretary of the Navy Hung Cao hearing directly from military family members about their worries at that townhall. President Trump also said that USS Lincoln’s deployment has been “not nearly long enough.”
