Adm. Brad Cooper praised the USS Abraham Lincoln crew as “tired” but still “firing on all cylinders” after reports of sailors attempting to jump overboard.
Cooper, 59, the head of Tampa, Fla.-based U.S. Central Command, visited the aircraft carrier in the north Arabian Sea on Saturday ahead of its imminent relief. The admiral spent several hours aboard the vessel during a 10-day regional tour that included stops in Israel, Iraq, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. His visit came days after military news outlets reported multiple sailors had attempted to go overboard amid deteriorating conditions during the carrier’s record-setting deployment.
“I was blown away by this strong group of high-achieving Americans standing tall with justified pride in everything they have accomplished,” Cooper wrote in a Wall Street Journal op-ed published Monday.
“I also saw the reality of more than 260 days at sea with more than 150 days in a combat zone, while speaking with sailors in spaces most guests don’t see.”
Cooper did not deny reports of mental fatigue and difficult living conditions afflicting the more than 5,000 sailors and Marines aboard the vessel, but wrote that “any elements of those stories are old news,” He added that “issues related to food, hot water and other concerns raised months ago were addressed by leadership and resolved.”
“The crew is tired, but they continue to fire on all cylinders,” the admiral continued. “History will record this deployment as one of the most operationally intense and consequential of the modern era.”
Cooper wrote that “my conversations with our troops naturally turned to what matters most. Tucked between steel bulkheads, away from the roaring flight operations, we spoke not of headlines or high-level strategic maneuvers, but of missed birthdays, first steps captured on video calls, high-school graduations and the quiet sacrifices unfolding thousands of miles away back home.”
President Trump had brushed off the reports Friday, saying the Lincoln’s deployment had been “not nearly long enough” while confirming the carrier would return “very shortly” to the U.S.
Cooper hailed the crew for withstanding Iranian attempts to sink the ship while conducting hundreds of missions against the Islamic Republic’s military. “The strike group’s guided-missile destroyers engaged in arguably the most intense combat at sea the Navy has seen since World War II, and the air wing executed hundreds of decisive strikes on IRGC targets — sinking the Iranian navy with exceptional tactical precision,” he wrote.
“The strike group twice enacted the most effective naval blockade in modern history,” Cooper added. “But the true foundation of American sea power isn’t measured in steel, nuclear reactors, high-tech aviation or surface platforms. It is measured in human endurance, character and the strength of the American military family.”
In the viral moment that preceded Cooper’s visit, multiple sailors aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln had attempted to go overboard as the carrier’s deployment stretched into its ninth month. Military Times and Stars and Stripes reported cases of sailors attempting to jump overboard, with one incident involving a watchstander who physically pulled a shipmate back onto the deck. Annabelle Loma told the Navy Times her husband attempted to jump from the carrier after being repeatedly overextended and was now on medical hold. “He’s scared,” Loma said. “He thinks he’ll get a dishonorable discharge, and just because he was burnt out, his 13-year career is ruined, just like that.” Acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao acknowledged “a small number of mental health cases were treated” but called some media reports “dishonest,” while Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said conditions had been “completely misrepresented.” The Navy said it is sending additional resiliency counselors and social workers to augment support services aboard the ship.
Cooper noted that the Lincoln had the lowest number of mental health cases of the Navy’s 11 active aircraft carriers. The carrier, which departed San Diego on Nov. 21, has spent more than 250 days deployed and all of 2026 at sea, with its last port visit a two-day stop in Guam. The USS George Washington is heading to the Middle East to replace the Lincoln, though the Navy has not announced an exact date for the relief, citing operational security.