WASHINGTON — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is scheduled to travel to San Diego on Tuesday to welcome the crew of the USS Abraham Lincoln home on Wednesday following an extended deployment in the Middle East.
The Nimitz-class aircraft carrier spent over 280 days at sea without a port call. Hegseth plans to meet with crew members, participate in physical training and share a meal with sailors during the visit.
The deployment has drawn fire from congressional Democrats and former defense officials over reports of deteriorating mental health among the crew, tight food supplies and substandard living conditions. Acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao informed Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) last month that eight sailors assigned to the carrier strike group attempted suicide during the deployment, which included military operations against Iran.
Hegseth defended the conditions in August. "Listen, we make sure that every ship, every crew, every captain has everything we can provide them at every single moment," he said. "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 and those austere conditions with less port calls, it's incredible."
Rep. Sara Jacobs (D-Calif.), a member of the House Armed Services Committee, visited the aircraft carrier late last month as part of a bipartisan delegation. "Oversight can't wait until the USS Abraham Lincoln comes home to San Diego. We deserve answers and accountability now," Jacobs said in a Sept. 27 statement. She raised concerns directly with the ship's command and received briefings on logistics, supply issues and lessons learned for future deployments.
