War Secretary Hegseth visits USS Abraham Lincoln in San Diego after extended Middle East deployment

War Secretary Pete Hegseth will fly to San Diego early this week, where he will greet the crew of the USS Abraham Lincoln on Wednesday and engage in activities such as physical training and a shared lunch. The aircraft carrier has completed a deployment exceeding 300 days, having operated in the Pacific, the South China Sea and, most recently, the Middle East. During that deployment, reports surfaced that several sailors attempted suicide, and one sailor jumped overboard before being rescued.

Acting Naval Secretary Hung Cao acknowledged that the ship faced piping failures and temporary issues with its reverse-osmosis desalination units, attributing them to high ambient seawater temperatures and nonstop operations. The Lincoln, home to about 5,000 sailors and Marines, had its deployment extended in May with no new end date announced. Hegseth’s visit follows the military’s earlier downplaying of the crew’s mental-health concerns.