Protect the USS Abraham Lincoln Crew

Roughly 5,000 service members aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln have been deployed at sea for more than 250 days after being redirected to the Middle East as part of the American counter-blockade of the Strait of Hormuz in Trump’s war with Iran. The aircraft carrier took off from Naval Base San Diego on November 21, 2025, and the last time they saw a port was a one-day visit to a base in Guam on December 12, 2025.

Since then, sailors have described the worsening conditions: food shortages, dwindling hygiene supplies, water contamination, plumbing failures, mail that never arrives, and a mental health crisis serious enough that a sailor reportedly went overboard last month. Sen. Blumenthal (D-Conn.), a member of the Armed Services Committee, sent a letter to Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth expressing concern and demanding answers, but there appears to be no plan to get this crew home, and no accountability for what they’ve endured.

The situation playing out on the Lincoln is not an isolated case. Earlier this year, the USS Gerald R. Ford returned after a record-breaking 326 days at sea, the longest deployment for any aircraft carrier since the Vietnam War. Extended deployments are becoming routine as the war with Iran drags on without an end in sight or a vote from Congress — and it’s service members and their families who are paying the price.

Congress must act now to bring this crew home and demand accountability from Secretary Hegseth for these endless deployments.