CENTCOM blasts ‘false’ reports about conditions aboard USS Abraham Lincoln
U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) on Thursday pushed back on reports about conditions aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln during its deployment to the Middle East, denying claims that sailors had died in a brawl or that the carrier had experienced a spike in suicidal ideation.
“CLAIM: Over the past 48 hours, multiple media outlets have reported several false claims related to USS Abraham Lincoln’s (CVN 72) deployment to the Middle East,” CENTCOM said in a statement. “One report alleged seven Sailors died in a brawl aboard the aircraft carrier and others have recently suggested a spike in suicidal ideations.”
“These reports are FALSE,” CENTCOM said.
The command pointed to the carrier’s crew reenlistment rate, saying the USS Abraham Lincoln has “maintained among the highest crew reenlistment rates (84.4%) of all aircraft carriers in the U.S. Navy.”
“The Sailors and Marines of the Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group remain resilient and resolved after more than 260 days at sea, 10,000 aircraft flights, and 1.5 million pounds of ordnance expended,” CENTCOM said.
“No service members aboard the aircraft carrier have died, and the one Sailor who fell overboard Aug. 3 was quickly and safely recovered,” the statement continued. “The rampant misreporting on Abraham Lincoln’s historic deployment is a disservice to our men and women in uniform and their loved ones.”
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth also addressed reports about conditions aboard the aircraft carrier Thursday, saying they had been “completely misrepresented.”
“We make sure every ship, every crew, every captain has everything we can provide them at every single moment,” Hegseth told reporters during a visit to Panama. “Some deployments are longer than others, and I have more respect and gratitude for those sailors than anybody. What they do in those high seas in those austere conditions with less port calls, it’s incredible.”
Yesterday’s Fox News Digital live blog offers additional coverage of the conflict with Iran.
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