CENTCOM chief visits USS Abraham Lincoln for the second time
Note: AI technology was used to generate this article’s audio.
- Adm. Brad Cooper visited the USS Abraham Lincoln during a 10-day Middle East trip as concerns grow over the mental health and morale of its crew.
- The carrier has been deployed in the region since January, supporting US military operations against Iran and a blockade of Iranian ports.
US Central Command chief Adm. Brad Cooper visited the USS Abraham Lincoln during his latest trip to the Middle East, praising the carrier's crew for what he called their "tremendous dedication and courage."
"History will record this deployment as one of the most operationally intense and consequential of the modern era," Cooper said in a statement released by the US military on Saturday.
The visit comes as concerns grow over the mental health and morale of sailors aboard the aircraft carrier following its extended deployment.
The USS Abraham Lincoln arrived in the Middle East in January and has since supported US military operations against Iran, including the blockade of Iranian ports.
Its continued combat role has limited opportunities to make port calls at friendly locations, where deployed crews typically replenish supplies, carry out maintenance and allow sailors time to rest.
A CNN analysis of deployment announcements and the US Naval Institute's fleet tracker found that US Navy aircraft carrier groups have increasingly exceeded the service's recommended seven-month deployment duration.
Reports of low morale aboard the Lincoln have also raised concerns among sailors' families, some of whom have questioned why measures were not taken sooner to address the strain of the prolonged deployment.
Cooper's visit marked his second trip aboard the Lincoln this year. He previously visited the carrier in February alongside US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump's son-in-law.
The latest visit was part of a 10-day Middle East tour during which Cooper met senior civilian and military officials in Bahrain, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
The prolonged deployment of the Lincoln comes as the US military maintains a heightened operational posture in the region amid the ongoing war with Iran.
