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August 14, 2026 / 9:34 AM EDT
/ CBS News
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The USS George Washington aircraft carrier is headed to the Middle East to replace the USS Abraham Lincoln, a U.S. official tells CBS News. The Lincoln has been deployed for almost nine months and in recent weeks, some families have voiced concerns about conditions on the ship. During a town hall with the acting Navy secretary last week, some families expressed frustration that he offered no update about when the carrier would come home. But the Navy does not usually publicly announce the exact timing of a carrier's movements in order to protect the ship's security. The USS Lincoln deployed in Nov. 2025, first to the Pacific but then was sent to the Middle East ahead of the Iran war. At least one spouse during the town hall voiced concerns about the mental well-being of her partner, according to a person familiar with the events. Media reports this week quoted some family members who said they had heard multiple sailors had thought about jumping overboard. The Navy pushed back on the notion that there is a mental health crisis onboard. In a statement to CBS News, a Navy spokesperson said, "We have not identified an increase in reported suicidal ideation or suicide attempts aboard the ship. We take every service member's well-being seriously and have religious, medical and mental health professionals available to assess and address concerns as they arise." A Navy official told CBS News there has been a decrease in suicidal ideation cases as the deployment has gone on. There is one incident of a sailor going overboard earlier this month that is being investigated, according to the Navy. The sailor was rescued safely and left the ship for follow-on care. The circumstances of how and why the sailor fell overboard are unclear and part of the investigation. One spouse of a service member on the Lincoln told CBS News that earlier in the deployment, the sailors experienced some food shortages while they waited for resupply, but that has been resolved.
