Pentagon Mounts 6-Official Campaign Against USS Lincoln Reports After 8-Month Deployment
Updated
Updated · Responsible Statecraft · Aug 19
Pentagon Mounts 6-Official Campaign Against USS Lincoln Reports After 8-Month Deployment
3 articles · Updated · Responsible Statecraft · Aug 19
Summary
At least six senior Pentagon and Navy officials, backed by department social-media accounts, amplified near-identical attacks on reports of harsh conditions aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln.
The push followed coverage by Military Times and Stars and Stripes citing sailors and families who described suicide attempts, poor food, hygiene shortages and worsening sanitation on the carrier.
Pete Hegseth called the reporting “completely misrepresented,” while other spokespeople branded it “fake news,” “crisis theater” and “dishonest”; CENTCOM labeled one report “MISINFORMED” but did not rebut specific allegations.
Adm. Brad Cooper, after visiting the ship, said Lincoln had among the lowest mental-health case numbers in the Navy’s 11 active carriers, while acknowledging long deployments are “uniquely challenging and tough.”
The Pentagon did not answer questions seeking evidence for its claims or data on suicidal ideation and attempts, drawing criticism from free-press advocates who said the episode fits a broader campaign to limit scrutiny of the military.