Experts pointed out the limitations of the U.S. Navy due to conditions on the USS Abraham Lincoln
Reports of deteriorating service conditions aboard the U.S. aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln have intensified the debate over the U.S. Navy’s ability to sustain a prolonged military campaign against Iran. According to Al Jazeera English, experts interviewed attribute the situation to supply difficulties, the strain on the crew, and the fleet’s limitations in an asymmetric conflict that has been ongoing for nearly six months.
According to U.S. media reports cited by Al Jazeera, relatives of service members have expressed concern about the well-being of the USS Abraham Lincoln’s crew. There have been reports of shortages of basic supplies, problems with maintenance and crew morale, as well as instances where service members allegedly attempted to jump overboard.
In their letter, Democratic lawmakers stated that these circumstances raise questions among Congress and the public about whether the U.S. Department of Defense is adapting quickly enough to conditions in the U.S. Central Command’s area of responsibility. The USS Abraham Lincoln has been on deployment since November 2025 and, according to the publication, has set a Navy record for the longest period without calling at a port. The USS Gerald Ford had been on deployment for 326 days before completing its rotation in May.
For more breaking news, follow the UA.News Telegram channel.
The New York Times linked the supply shortages to Iranian attacks on U.S. military facilities in the Middle East, particularly the significant damage to the naval base in Bahrain at the start of the war. A U.S. military official told the newspaper that Diego Garcia Island in the Indian Ocean has become the U.S. Navy’s main logistics hub. It is located approximately 3,540 km from the areas near Iran where the USS Abraham Lincoln and the USS George H. W. Bush were operating.
The Pentagon and the White House denied assessments that conditions aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln were critical, while acknowledging the complexity of the situation and the harsh realities of war. Following these reports, Acting Secretary of the Navy Hung Kao announced that the aircraft carrier would soon return home. To replace it, the USS George Washington, which has been primarily based in Japan, has already begun its journey from the western Pacific to the Middle East.
According to experts, this redeployment will leave the western Pacific without a U.S. aircraft carrier. They also noted that aircraft carriers have limited effectiveness in prolonged operations against low-cost drones and small vessels, which, they said, Iran relies on heavily in the Strait of Hormuz. According to former Navy Captain Bradley Martin, the U.S. Navy does not have enough small ships to conduct a sustained blockade operation.
