"The deployment wasn't even long enough": Trump responds to reports on the conditions of sailors on the "Abraham Lincoln"

Commander of US Central Command, Admiral Brad Cooper, visited the aircraft carrier "Abraham Lincoln" over the weekend, as it prepares to return home after a nine-month deployment in the heart of the conflict with Iran. Cooper's visit concluded a ten-day trip to the Middle East that included stops in Bahrain, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE. However, the visit comes against the backdrop of troubling reports regarding difficult living conditions and damage to the mental health of the crew members, who did not receive a single port call for rest during the entire period.

According to a report in the "Wall Street Journal", the ship played a central role in the bombings against Iran and in enforcing the naval blockade ordered by US President Donald Trump on the country's ports. Acting Secretary of the Navy, Hong Cao, noted that the aircraft carrier spent over 200 days in a clear combat zone and carried out more than 10,000 sorties. Cooper himself chose to praise the crew:

"History will remember this deployment as one of the most intense and significant in the modern era."

However, the picture emerging from below deck is far from glamorous. In recent days, American lawmakers have expressed deep concern over reports of a persistent shortage of fresh food and personal equipment, plumbing failures, and growing psychological problems among the sailors. A senior American official confirmed that a crew member fell into the sea at the beginning of August and was quickly rescued. Following this, Democratic senators demanded answers from Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, claiming in a public letter that there is evidence of a dangerous deterioration in conditions.

Secretary of Defense Hegseth was quick to dismiss the claims, calling the reports "completely distorted." Donald Trump went further and downplayed the concerns by hinting that the long deployment in the Middle East "was not even long enough." The US Navy admits that long months without a port call do indeed make things difficult for the crew, but insists that there has been no abnormal increase in mental health problems and that no meals were missed.

According to the "Wall Street Journal", while Admiral Cooper has pushed in recent weeks for a sharper military response that would create deterrence against Tehran, Donald Trump preferred to return to a strategy of economic pressure. The current naval blockade may continue "indefinitely," as Hegseth announced, which causes officials in the United States to warn that a prolonged blockade will place an enormous additional burden on the Navy's ships and sailors, who are already operating at an unprecedented pace and without rest.