US Central Command chief Admiral Brad Cooper visited the USS Lincoln as reports emerged of mental health and supply issues among crew members. The commander’s trip followed a 10-day journey through West Asia, where he met with civilian and military leaders in Bahrain, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. Cooper’s visit took place during a time of increased tension between the US and Iran over control of the Strait of Hormuz.
The USS Lincoln has spent more than 240 days at sea, a record-setting uninterrupted deployment for a carrier strike group, according to orlandosentinel.com. Cooper said the deployment was one of the most operationally intense and consequential in modern history.
Extended deployments like this have raised concerns about crew well-being and readiness. In a statement, Cooper praised the leadership aboard the USS Lincoln for prioritizing mental health and resilience among service members.
Reports have suggested that sailors on the ship are struggling with the unusually long time spent at sea without a port call, according to a report from Al Jazeera. The USS Lincoln is currently undergoing an extended deployment, but the US Navy is preparing to redeploy another carrier, the USS George Washington, from near Japan to replace it.
President Donald Trump was asked if the USS Lincoln had been deployed too long and responded that it hadn’t been long enough. The USS Lincoln’s deployment is part of broader US military efforts in the region, including naval operations aimed at Iran.
The Navy’s blockade of Iranian ports is one component of the ongoing conflict involving Iran and its regional allies. Before the war began in February, about one-fifth of global oil and natural gas trade passed through the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran has been asserting control over the strait, leading to tensions with regional partners and the US. In other developments, a rare meeting took place between negotiator Jared Kushner and Hamas leader Khalil al-Hayya in Egypt.
Kushner was joined by envoys from Egypt, Qatar, and Turkey as part of a diplomatic push to move forward with the Gaza ceasefire. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected recent proposals for a ceasefire, insisting that Hamas must be fully disarmed before any withdrawal.
Separately, Israel targeted two Hezbollah commanders in southern Lebanon in recent airstrikes, killing at least eleven people according to Lebanese officials. The US is also dealing with a diplomatic issue involving Iran and Qatar over missing Iranian pilots.
Iran claims Qatar is holding three of its pilots who went missing in March when their jets were shot down, a claim Qatar has denied. An Israeli strike in Gaza wounded five people, including a child, according to hospitals in Kuwait and Nasser.
Despite the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, Israeli forces have continued airstrikes in Gaza, resulting in over 1,262 Palestinian casualties, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.
IMAGE: Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 4.0)