US Has A Bigger Problem In Hormuz Than Iran's Resistance

The United States has turned its Pacific-based aircraft carrier USS George Washington toward the Middle East amid reports of mental health and supply issues aboard the long-deployed USS Abraham Lincoln, which has been supporting the American war against Iran so far. 

The USS George Washington left port in Da Nang, Vietnam, last week, a Navy statement said. The carrier, along with a cruiser and a destroyer, has since been spotted crossing the Singapore Strait.

Quoting a Navy official, the Associated Press reported that the Washington was in the Strait of Malacca, which links the Pacific and Indian oceans, and the US has put the carrier on a course to head into the Indian Ocean. 

This came after the Wall Street Journal reported earlier that Washington would replace Lincoln as one of the two aircraft carriers now stationed in the Middle East.

The concerns over troops' morale about Lincoln emerged even as US President Donald Trump claimed that America has control over the Strait of Hormuz and that he will "keep it." 

The Mental Health Concerns

Typically, naval deployments are for between six and nine months, but during times of conflict, that can be extended. But the Lincoln has been at sea for over 260 days as of this week in one of the longest aircraft carrier deployments in modern history, with families of troops deployed on the vessel and US legislators expressing concerns over a worsening mental health crisis onboard that has reportedly seen multiple attempts by service members trying to jump off the ship.

The Lincoln was originally deployed on November 21, 2025, from San Diego, and arrived in the Middle East in January 2026, ahead of the launch of the Iran war on February 28. 

The Navy conceded that the conflict created a "highly contested environment where traditional supply hubs in the Middle East were disrupted by combat actions." That, in turn, led to shortages and loss of mail aboard the aircraft carrier, the Navy said in a statement.

"Leadership prioritised mission-critical supplies: first food, then hygiene items, then mail," the statement said, before assuring that sailors aboard the ship now have access to clean water and "healthy meal options."

Hegseth Dismisses Concerns

US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has dismissed reports about poor conditions aboard the Lincoln, calling them "completely misrepresented."

"We ​make sure every ship, every crew, every captain has everything we can provide ​them at every single moment. 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 in those austere conditions with fewer port calls -- it's incredible," he told reporters ​during a visit to Panama.

His comments came after two military-focused outlets, Navy Times and Stars and ‌Stripes, reported suicide attempts and declining morale on the 5,000-person ship, which has been at sea since November 2025.

US Lawmakers' Call for Accountability

Hegseth's remarks prompted several Democratic lawmakers to call for accountability from the Pentagon over conditions aboard the carrier. Democratic lawmakers are calling for investigations, more information, and greater visibility into conditions aboard the ship, which was originally set to return home in May.

"The Lincoln's prolonged deployment is especially significant because it is occurring in the context of continuing military operations against Iran and the possibility that substantial US naval forces will be required in the region for an extended period," Connecticut Senator Richard Blumenthal, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, wrote in a letter to Navy leadership asking for a response to several questions.

Arizona Senator Ruben Gallego, a Marine Corps veteran, said on social media that he is looking to take a bipartisan delegation on an official oversight visit to the ship and that the way sailors are being treated is "not just disgusting; it's dangerous."

Extended deployments during the Iran conflict have raised concerns about the impact on service members who are away from home for long periods as well as the increasing strain on the ship and its equipment. 

While renewed hostilities between the US and Iran have calmed in recent weeks, the Navy has reimposed a blockade on Iranian ports in the crucial Strait of Hormuz. The Trump administration has offered no clarity on how it intends to wind down the war, with Hegseth claiming that the US can maintain the blockade "indefinitely."