Navy Commander Cooper's Visit Highlights Crew's Mental Health Struggles Amid Ship Replacement Plans
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Cooper's visit and statement follow reports of widespread morale and mental health issues aboard the Lincoln, which has been deployed for more than eight months. The Navy Times reported last week that several sailors had attempted to go overboard, and Stars and Stripes also reported on widespread mental health issues.
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Common Dreams"The family members of US service members are concerned about the conditions on the USS Lincoln," a reporter said.
ZeroHedgeThe media's questioning of the US commander-in-chief was prompted by concerns raised by family members of sailors aboard the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier, who say their loved ones are suffering from low morale from being stuck on the ship so long, and that they're enduring moldy showers, rationing of food, and a lack of basic hygiene supplies like toothpaste, deodorant and soap. One woman says her son told her the food situation has been so bad at times that a meal consists of only a half-cup of rice and two tortillas. Things are so bad that there are reports that at least two crew members have recently attempted to kill themselves by leaping off the towering deck of the ship, which has been participating in the US-Israeli war on Iran.
FortuneUS Central Command chief visits aircraft carrier Adm. Cooper visited the USS Lincoln in the Arabian Sea as reports have emerged of mental health and supply issues aboard the long-deployed aircraft carrier. The Lincoln arrived in the Middle East in January and has been supporting the U.S. war against Iran, including the blockade on Iranian ports. Its deployment has included a record-setting uninterrupted time at sea of more than 240 days.
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Cooper, the top U.S. commander in the war with Iran, said his visit to the ship was "awe-inspiring" and lauded the crew for "stepping up and making mental health and crew resilience a leadership priority."
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FortuneAdm. Brad Cooper, the top U.S. military commander in the Middle East, visited the USS Lincoln in the Arabian Sea during a 10-day tour in the region that concluded on Saturday, U.S. Central Command said.
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"That ship is moving right now -- well, very shortly -- and it's being replaced with another very similar ship," Trump continued, referring to the USS George Washington. When the reporter asked if the deployments were going on too long, Trump replied, "No, no, no -- not nearly long enough."
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Common Dreams"No, they're not," Trump interjected. He noted that the ship was in the process of leaving its current Middle East deployment to be replaced with "a very similar ship," referring to the USS George Washington.
CNBCAsked by a reporter on Friday whether the Lincoln's deployment has gone on too long, Trump said, "No, no, no" and added, "not nearly long enough." The president also said that the Lincoln would soon be replaced in the region by a different carrier.
4 details only one outlet reported
Independent claims that didn't surface elsewhere in our corpus. Treat as supplementary — not corroborated across outlets.
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01 CNBC U.S. Central Command Commander Adm. Brad Cooper on Sunday acknowledged mental health challenges aboard the USS Lincoln after reports that a sailor jumped overboard amid the aircraft carrier's long Middle East deployment.
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02 ZeroHedge Hegseth rejects reports of worsening conditions aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln, including a sailor going overboard and declining crew mental health, calling the reports “completely misrepresented.” pic.twitter.com/JicN9bkoBQ
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03 Fortune “History will record this deployment as one of the most operationally intense and consequential of the modern era,” Cooper said of the Lincoln strike group in a statement released Saturday.
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04 Common Dreams The Navy did not fully detail how it was responding to family members’ concerns, though it said the ship had counselors, chaplains, medical professionals, and other support services. Family members also said officials told them additional mental health personnel were being sent.
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- cnbc
- zerohedge
- commondreams
- fortune