CENTCOM Chief Adm. Brad Cooper Visits USS Abraham Lincoln Amid Crew Mental Health Concerns
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WASHINGTON, August 16 (Saudi Arabia Breaking News) — U.S. Central Command chief Adm. Brad Cooper visited the USS Abraham Lincoln during a Middle East tour, with the aircraft carrier’s extended deployment drawing concern over crew morale and mental health.
The Lincoln arrived in the Middle East in January and has supported U.S. military operations against Iran, including the blockade of Iranian ports.
“History will record this deployment as one of the most operationally intense and consequential of the modern era,” Cooper said in a statement released by the U.S. military on Saturday.
The statement said Cooper also thanked the Lincoln crew for their “tremendous dedication and courage,” during the visit.
The carrier’s combat operations have prevented it from making stops at friendly ports, where deployed vessels can typically replenish supplies and sailors can rest.
The U.S. Navy recommends that deployments last no more than seven months. A CNN analysis of deployment announcements and the USNI News fleet tracker found that the Navy’s aircraft carrier groups have increasingly exceeded that benchmark.
Reports of low morale aboard the Lincoln have raised concern among crew members’ families, who have questioned why action was not taken sooner.
The latest visit was Cooper’s second to the aircraft carrier this year. He previously boarded the Lincoln in February with U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump’s son-in-law.
Cooper’s visit formed part of a 10-day Middle East tour that included meetings with senior civilian and military leaders in Bahrain, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
Source: CNN
