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Adm. Brad Cooper, the head of U.S. Central Command, praised the crew of the USS Abraham Lincoln after he visited the cruiser on Saturday.
In a statement shared on social media, Cooper said his time aboard the Lincoln was “awe-inspiring.”
“I wish every American could see the crew in action,” he said. “You would beam with absolute pride when witnessing their camaraderie, teamwork and resilience.”
The Lincoln, which has about 5,000 service members, arrived in the Middle East in January and has been supporting the U.S. war against Iran. It deployed in November 2025 to the Pacific before it moved to the Middle East. It has spent a record-setting uninterrupted time at sea of more than 240 days. U.S. military vessels are normally deployed for about six months.
In the last few weeks, reports have emerged of mental health concerns among the crew and supply issues on board.
Cooper acknowledged the concerns in his statement, but said the Lincoln has among the lowest numbers of cases related to mental health of all the U.S. Navy’s 11 active aircraft carriers.
“This doesn’t mean that all is perfect,” he said. “Find any of the nearly 4 million Navy veterans in America today and they will likely tell you that service at sea for long periods of time isn’t for everyone. It is uniquely challenging and tough, and every single one of us, including me, reacts to stressors in different ways.”
Cooper applauded the actions of Lincoln’s leadership for “stepping up and making mental health and crew resilience a leadership priority.”
The USS George Washington aircraft carrier is headed to the Middle East to relieve the Lincoln.
Asked Friday if he thought the Lincoln’s deployment was too long, President Trump said it was “not nearly long enough.”
