AP / August 17, 2026
The top U.S. military commander in the Middle East praised the leadership of the long-deployed USS Abraham Lincoln after visiting the sailors on the vessel during a regional tour that ended on Saturday, the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said.
Adm. Brad Cooper visited the USS Abraham Lincoln as reports have emerged of mental health and supply issues. The Lincoln arrived in the Middle East in January and has been supporting the U.S. war against Iran, including the blockade on Iranian ports. It has spent a record-setting uninterrupted time at sea of more than 240 days.
“History will record this deployment as one of the most operationally intense and consequential of the modern era,” Cooper said of the Lincoln strike group in a statement released Saturday. Extended deployments of carriers — which can have more than 5,000 sailors and Marines on board — have raised concerns.
In a statement Sunday, Cooper praised the leadership on the carrier for making mental health and resilience a priority.
