The USS Abraham Lincoln, a US military ship with over 5,000 sailors and Marines, has been at sea for nine months participating in operations against Iran and is now returning home. According to experts, including retired Navy captain Armen Kurdian and behavioral scientist Jack Stuster, the mental health of crew members has been affected by the prolonged deployment, lack of communication from leadership, and uncertainty about their return date. The Navy has confirmed that a small number of sailors have received treatment for mental health issues without incident, but some reports suggest that some crew members may have attempted to jump overboard due to stress. Mental health experts say that deployments exceeding six months can take a significant toll on personnel.
Written by the local model on 2026-08-21,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
Thousands of US sailors, including about 5,000 people living aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier, have been facing food shortages, broken plumbing, and exhaustion during a nine-month deployment in the Middle East. The conditions on the ship have raised alarms among lawmakers, with some calling for an investigation into the situation.
The USS Abraham Lincoln has been at sea since November 2025, with reports emerging of attempts by sailors to jump overboard and concerns about their mental health. Family members have expressed worries about the crew's well-being, citing a lack of supplies and food on board.
In response to these concerns, US President Donald Trump dismissed them, saying that family members were not worried about the situation on the ship. However, he also confirmed that another ship, the USS George Washington, would soon replace the Lincoln in the region.
The USS Abraham Lincoln's deployment has been repeatedly extended, with no return date announced. The situation has sparked criticism of President Trump's handling of the war against Iran and the treatment of US military personnel.
Meanwhile, a new US aircraft carrier strike group, led by the USS George Washington, arrived in the Middle East to relieve the long-deployed USS Abraham Lincoln.
Written for “US Aircraft Carrier Issues” on 2026-08-31,
grounded in this article and the 7 other(s) covering the same event.
As USS Lincoln heads home, mental health experts tally the stressors of life at sea
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The USS Abraham Lincoln — which has been participating in U.S. military operations in the war with Iran — is now on its way home.
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The roughly 5,000 sailors and Marines aboard that ship have spent a grueling nine months at sea with little relief.
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Reports have emerged of deteriorating conditions — and of deteriorating mental health, including apparent attempts by crewmembers to jump overboard.
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The Navy has not confirmed those reports and NPR has not independently verified them.
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"A small number of mental health cases were treated with no loss of life," Acting Secretary of the Navy Hung Cao said in a statement last week.
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Experts say while the physical circumstances are difficult, a lack of careful and consistent messaging from leadership at the highest levels also contributed to the crews' mental distress.
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The USS Lincoln is like a small city, according to Armen Kurdian, a retired U.S. Navy captain who served aboard the aircraft carrier in 2005.
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The labor aboard the carrier, he says, can be uniquely physical and difficult.
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It takes a toll on your body," says Kurdian.
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"The plane captains are out there on the flight deck — you know, these 18-, 19-, 20-year-olds lugging these 100-pound chains on their backs in 120-degree weather.
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He describes dehydration and exhaustion as pilots have to take off and land on the carriers, sometimes at night and in bad weather, and "then just being mentally prepared to go fly because lives are at stake."
In the off-hours, Kurdian says there is little to no privacy, with people sleeping in crowded quarters.
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While difficult, these conditions can be bearable, he adds.
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But experts say once uncertainty is thrown into this equation, it can push people to their mental brink.
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Jack Stuster is a retired behavioral scientist who spent decades studying human performance.
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"In conditions of isolation and confinement," says Stuster, "one of the worst things that you could do to the person is to tell them they're gonna come home at a certain time, and then you say, 'No.
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It's gonna be delayed.'
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"
Return is overdue
The Abraham Lincoln's deployment was originally scheduled to end in May.
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In addition to the Navy, Stuster worked with NASA and scientists operating in small groups in places like Greenland, where return flights home were often canceled at the very last moment — even after their would-be passengers had dragged their duffle bags right up to the flight line.
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People have described to me going out there for the third time … only to be told that it wasn't gonna happen," says Stuster, which caused them "to break down in tears.
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A three-month deployment is ideal, says Stuster, or even six.
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At nine months, he says, things start to become untenable.
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Dr. Phillip Hunt was for years a Navy physician who deployed on several submarine missions.
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His background is in emergency medicine, but Hunt says in the Navy much of what he treated was mental health.
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" I was kind of the father confessor, psychologist, what have you," says Hunt.
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With a crew of 5,000 people on a ship, Hunt says it's inevitable that some people will struggle with mental health — even in the best of deployment conditions.
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"You'd have guys getting anxious.
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You'd have guys getting depressed."
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Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth says reports of poor conditions aboard the Lincoln are overstated.
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President Trump recently called the deployment "not nearly long enough."
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Hunt says a lack of certainty or reassurance from leadership at the highest levels can trickle down to impact everyone's mental well-being.
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"Denial of this unit's deteriorating operational conditions is highly detrimental to the crew's morale," says Hunt.
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"The result can include anger, anxiety, or eventually mental exhaustion and depression."
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Hunt says he blames leadership at the highest levels for the lack of recognition of this hardship.
"
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I just, I feel so badly for that crew.
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It's just tragic," says Hunt.
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"Just thinking about them almost brings me to tears."
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If you or someone you know is struggling with their mental health, please call or text the number 9-8-8 to connect with a counselor.
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