CENTCOM commander tries to ease concerns about USS Abraham Lincoln

U.S. Central Command Adm. Brad Cooper tried to assuage concerns about the sailors and Marines aboard USS Abraham Lincoln after visiting the aircraft carrier over the weekend. A number of families have voiced worries that mental health conditions on the ship are deteriorating, and there have been some complaints about sanitary conditions and food supplies during the lengthy deployment amid the U.S.-Iran war. A typical deployment is six months, but the service members aboard the USS Lincoln have been deployed for nine months and counting. In a statement posted to X, Cooper said deployment at sea is "uniquely challenging and tough, and every single one of us, including me, reacts to stressors in different ways." "I've long believed that mental health is another aspect of individual health and requires our attention just like physical health and spiritual health," Cooper added, without confirming or denying any specific issues. Statement from Adm. Brad Cooper, CENTCOM commander: pic.twitter.com/VDrumI7ZPf— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) August 16, 2026 The Military Times and Stars and ‌Stripes recently reported suicide attempts and declining morale among the ship's thousands of sailor...