Hegseth calls carrier condition reports ‘completely misrepresented’
Connecticut Senator Richard Blumenthal on Thursday called on the US military to answer questions about living conditions aboard the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, which has been deployed in the Middle East for more than 250 days with no announced return date.
In a statement reported on Thursday, Blumenthal, a Democrat, said there have been “widespread reports of shortages of basic supplies, water contamination, plumbing issues, deteriorating mental health, deck safety concerns, and disruptions in the mail system, which have caused many care packages in route to the ship to be lost in transit for months.”
Separately reported accounts have described food shortages, broken plumbing, and suicide attempts among the carrier’s crew. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth on Thursday called the reports “completely misrepresented.”
The carrier left San Diego in November, originally bound for the South China Sea before being redirected to the Middle East ahead of attacks on Iran in February. No return date has been announced.
The BBC reported the senator’s demand adds to pressure on the Trump administration over the Iran war.