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Hey Small Biters,
For months, families of sailors aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln have been sounding alarms about what life has become aboard the aircraft carrier. They have described shortages, exhaustion, deteriorating morale and serious concerns about the mental health of sailors trapped in an extraordinarily long deployment. On Friday, Donald Trump was finally asked whether he worried the deployment had gone on too long. His response was startlingly simple: “No. No. No — not nearly long enough.”
Those words deserve to linger for a moment. The question was not about whether the United States possesses enough aircraft carriers or whether the Navy can technically maintain operations. Trump was being asked about human beings serving aboard a ship that has now spent 244 consecutive days at sea. Families have been describing sons and daughters becoming increasingly exhausted and emotionally distressed. “Not nearly long enough” was the president’s answer.
The Lincoln’s deployment was extended as the United States became increasingly entangled in the war with Iran. More than 50,000 American troops have reportedly been deployed in support of the US- and Israel-led conflict, placing enormous pressure on personnel, equipment and military families. The Lincoln and the roughly 5,000 sailors and Marines aboard it have become perhaps the clearest symbol of that strain.
A normal aircraft carrier deployment generally lasts around six or seven months, with port visits scattered throughout the journey. Those stops are hardly luxurious vacations. They provide crews with opportunities to rest, replenish supplies, receive mail, eat fresh food and briefly escape the relentless confines of life aboard a massive floating military installation. The Lincoln has not had that luxury for months.