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U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday dismissed concerns about living conditions and the mental health of service members aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln, saying the aircraft carrier would soon be replaced after spending nine months at sea.
Asked whether relatives of crew members were worried about conditions aboard the carrier, Trump said, "No, they're not."
He also rejected suggestions that the ship had been deployed for too long.
"No, no, no, not nearly enough," Trump said.
Trump confirmed reports that the Abraham Lincoln would rotate out as the U.S. remains in a stalemate with Iran over control of the Strait of Hormuz and Tehran's nuclear program.
"That ship is moving right now or very shortly and it's being replaced with another very similar ship," he said.
U.S. media, including specialist military publications, have cited relatives of crew members who said living conditions aboard the carrier had deteriorated.
There have also been reports of several suicide attempts.
Democratic lawmakers have called for investigations into conditions aboard the ship.
The Abraham Lincoln left California in November 2025 for operations in the South China Sea before being redirected to the Middle East ahead of U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iran that began Feb. 28.
Jonathan Schroden, chief research officer at the Center for Naval Analyses, told AFP that carrier strike groups are generally designed for six-month deployments for reasons "including sailor welfare."
The Abraham Lincoln is now in its ninth month at sea.
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