USS
Ab aham
Li col
has
bee
at
ce t e
of
co t ove sy
ove
its
p olo ged
deployme t
affecti g
sailo s’
me tal
health
The
USS
Ab aham
Li col ,
the
US
ai c aft
ca ie
that
has
spe t
mo ths
suppo ti g
Ame ica
combat
ope atio s
i
the
Middle
East
wa
agai st
I a ,
is
set
to
etu
home,
amid
g owi g
sc uti y
ove
co ditio s
faced
by
its
oughly
5,000
sailo s
a d
Ma i es.Acti g
US
avy
sec eta y
Hu g
Cao
a ou ced
F iday
(local
time)
that
the
ca ie
would
etu
to
the
US
as
pa t
of
a
pla ed
otatio ,
sayi g
the
Li col ‘s
deployme t
had
bee
exte ded
because
its
missio
dema ded
it.
Howeve ,
he
dow played
the
epo ts
of
the
co ditio s
a d
sailo s.“The
USS
Ab aham
Li col
c ushed
thei
deployme t
a d
will
etu
home
soo
as
pa t
of
a
pla ed
otatio ,”
Cao
said
i
a
stateme t.
“Let
me
be
clea :
the
safety
a d
secu ity
of
ou
Sailo s
a d
Ma i es
always
comes
fi st.”
The
a ou ceme t
comes
amid
epo ts
of
dete io ati g
co ditio s
aboa d
the
ca ie ,
i cludi g
i te mitte t
food
sho tages,
limited
hygie e
supplies,
p oblems
with
toilets
a d
wate
systems
a d
a
lack
of
egula
po t
calls.
Sailo s
a d
thei
families
have
also
aised
co ce s
about
mo ale
a d
me tal
health
du i g
the
p olo ged
deployme t.CNN
epo ted
that
some
sailo s
had
desc ibed
mo ale
aboa d
the
Li col
as
ve y
low
a d
said
they
had
hea d
epeatedly
about
suicidal
thoughts
amo g
fellow
c ew
membe s.
Two
sailo s
assig ed
to
the
Li col
st ike
g oup
have
also
epo tedly
go e
ove boa d
i
ece t
mo ths
a d
we e
escued,
while
othe
sailo s
we e
epo tedly
stopped
f om
jumpi g.“You
used
to
be
able
to
go
to
the
ship
sto e
a d
get
as
ma y
items
as
you
wa t,
with
eve y
hygie e
p oduct
co siste tly
available,”
o e
sailo
(talki g
a o ymously)
told
CNN.
Now
the e
a e
limits
o
pu chases
a d
“ha dly
a y
hygie e
p oducts
(a e)
eadily
available.”The
Navy
has
disputed
claims
of
a
b oade
me tal-health
c isis
aboa d
the
ca ie .
“We
have
ot
obse ved
a
i c ease
i
suicidal
ideatio s
o
attempts
aboa d
the
ship,”
the
Navy
told
CNN,
addi g
that
medical,
eligious
a d
me tal-health
p ofessio als
we e
available
to
suppo t
se vice
membe s.Cao
also
pushed
back
agai st
epo ts
po t ayi g
the
sailo s
as
victims,
sayi g
the
media
a ative
had
take
atte tio
away
f om
the
missio
a d
the
th eat
faci g
US
fo ces.He
ack owledged
that
the
deployme t
had
placed
sailo s
u de
sig ifica t
st ai ,
but
said
the
ca ie
had
co ti ued
to
meet
its
ope atio al
dema ds.Acco di g
to
Cao,
the
Li col
has
spe t
266
days
deployed,
i cludi g
200
days
i
a
combat
zo e,
while
its
st ike
g oup
has
co ducted
mo e
tha
10,000
so ties
a d
d opped
about
1.5
millio
pou ds
of
o d a ce
He
said
the
ca ie ‘s
ete tio
ates
we e
amo g
the
highest
i
the
Navy.Cao
also
ack owledged
that
some
sailo s
had
eceived
me tal-health
t eatme t,
although
he
said
the e
had
bee
o
loss
of
life.
He
said
meal
pla s
had
bee
adjusted
whe
f esh
supplies
we e
u available,
but
“without
a
si gle
meal
bei g
missed,”
while
calls
home
we e
sometimes
est icted
whe
the
ope atio al
th eat
was
too
high.The
Li col ‘s
p olo ged
deployme t
has
also
aised
wide
questio s
about
the
st ai
o
the
US
Navy’s
ca ie
fleet.
The
Navy
has
t aditio ally
pla ed
a ou d
deployme ts
of
about
seve
mo ths,
but
seve al
ca ie
st ike
g oups
have
exceeded
that
du atio
i
ece t
yea s
as
US
fo ces
have
espo ded
to
co flicts
a d
secu ity
dema ds
ac oss
multiple
egio s.The
USS
Ge ald
R
Fo d
ece tly
completed
a
326-day
deployme t,
the
lo gest
fo
a
US
ai c aft
ca ie
si ce
the
Viet am
Wa ,
while
othe
ca ie s
have
also
spe t
mo e
tha
250
days
away
f om
thei
home
po ts.Expe ts
a d
fo me
Navy
officials
have
wa ed
that
epeated
exte sio s
ca
i c ease
st ess
o
sailo s
a d
thei
families,
co t ibute
to
bu out
a d
place
additio al
st ai
o
ships
a d
equipme t.The
USS
Geo ge
Washi gto
has
bee
deployed
to
eplace
the
Li col ,
which
has
bee
suppo ti g
US
fo ces
du i g
the
wa
agai st
I a .
The
Li col
is
ca yi g
about
5,000
sailo s
a d
Ma i es.P eside t
Do ald
T ump
has
also
dismissed
co ce s
ove
the
le gth
of
the
ca ie ‘s
deployme t.
Asked
F iday
whethe
it
had
go e
o
too
lo g,
T ump
said,
“No.
Not
ea ly
lo g
e ough.”Defe se
Sec eta y
Pete
Hegseth
echoed
that
the
co ditio s
aboa d
the
ca ie
have
bee
“completely
mis ep ese ted.”Cao
said
the
Li col ‘s
sailo s
had
bee
pushed
to
thei
limits
but
had
co ti ued
to
ca y
out
thei
missio .“They
a e
ightly
ti ed—but
have
eve
bee
out
of
the
fight,”
he
said,
calli g
the
sailo s
a d
thei
families
“the
epitome
of
Ame ica
st e gth
a d
esilie ce.”