WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressman John Garamendi (CA-08), Ranking Member of the House Armed Services Military Readiness Subcommittee, and Congressman Joe Courtney, Ranking Member of the House Armed Services Seapower and Projection Forces Subcommittee, joined 52 House Democrats in calling on Acting Secretary of the Navy Hung Cao to address alarming reports about living conditions and military readiness aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72), which has remained deployed in a combat zone months beyond its originally scheduled return.
In their letter, the Members raised concerns that the Lincoln and its crew have been deployed for more than eight months, have had their deployment extended multiple times, and remain at sea with no anticipated return date. The carrier reportedly went 208 consecutive days without a port call, a modern-day record for a Navy aircraft carrier.
“The Lincoln and her crew have been deployed for more than 8 months, twice extended and still performing at a high level under constant combat conditions,” wrote the Members. “This crew has been extended multiple times and is still deployed in a combat zone 3 months after their originally scheduled return date – with no anticipated redeployment date in sight.”
The Members also sounded the alarm over reports from sailors’ families regarding food shortages and poor living conditions aboard the carrier. According to the letter, numerous sailors have reportedly attempted to jump overboard, while family members have raised concerns about quality issues dating back to April. Families brought those concerns directly to Navy leadership during an August 6 town hall in San Diego.
“These reports are not political conjecture; they come from sailors’ worried family members,” wrote the Members. “Numerous sailors have reportedly attempted to jump overboard, in an escalation of challenges the Ford faced.”
The Members warned that the Lincoln’s deployment follows similar challenges aboard the USS Gerald R. Ford and raises broader questions about how the Navy is managing extended carrier deployments during the war against Iran. With the USS George Washington reportedly expected to eventually replace the Lincoln, the Members said the Navy must demonstrate that it is taking steps to protect personnel and material readiness.
“The Ford and Lincoln’s successive overextended deployments and subsequent challenges have become a pattern in the Administration’s handling of its war against Iran,” wrote the Members. “The reported conditions on the Lincoln, following so soon after the reported conditions on the Ford, leave both Congress and the public concerned that the Department is not adapting quickly enough to the conditions in the CENTCOM area of responsibility, nor taking the appropriate steps to mitigate the continued challenges in our fleet.”
The Members requested answers from the Navy on what additional resources and mental health protections are being provided to sailors on extended deployments; how the Department is addressing replenishment challenges; how it will communicate with sailors’ families; what lessons were learned from the Ford deployment; and how the Navy would maintain its force posture in the Indo-Pacific if the George Washington is sent to relieve the Lincoln.
The letter was also signed by Representatives Joe Courtney (CT), Maggie Goodlander (NH), Wesley Bell (MO), Ro Khanna (CA), Marilyn Strickland (WA), Chris Deluzio (PA), Greg Stanton (AZ), Patrick Ryan (NY), Sarah Elfreth (MD), Yassamin Ansari (AZ), Mike Quigley (IL), Jennifer L. McClellan (VA), Seth Moulton (MA), Jim Himes (CT), John W. Mannion (NY), Jill Tokuda (HI), Morgan McGarvey (KY), Suzanne Bonamici (OR), Teresa Leger Fernández (NM), Mike Thompson (CA), Shri Thanedar (MI), Gilbert Ray Cisneros, Jr. (CA), William R. Keating (MA), George Whitesides (CA), Danny K. Davis (IL), Sylvia R. Garcia (TX), Nikki Budzinski (IL), John B. Larson (CT), Julie Johnson (TX), Dina Titus (NV), Terri A. Sewell (AL), Sarah McBride (DE), Judy Chu (CA), Eric Sorensen (IL), Jasmine Crockett (TX), Jonathan L. Jackson (IL), Chris Pappas (NH), Gwen S. Moore (WI), Jason Crow (CO), Diana DeGette (CO), Veronica Escobar (TX), James R. Walkinshaw (VA), Grace Meng (NY), Maxwell Alejandro Frost (FL), Derek T. Tran (CA), Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA), Brendan F. Boyle (PA), Mark DeSaulnier (CA), Gabe Amo (RI), Thomas R. Suozzi (NY), and Jim Costa (CA).
To read the full letter, click here.
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