Admiral Dismisses USS Lincoln Complaints as 'Old News'

Cooper called his visit "awe-inspiring" and praised the crew's resilience, while conceding, per the Washington Examiner, that not "all is perfect." He acknowledged to the BBC's account that Navy service at sea for long periods is "uniquely challenging and tough," and said: "I've long believed that mental health is another aspect of individual health and requires our attention just like physical health and spiritual health. I applaud Lincoln's leadership for... stepping up and making mental health and crew resilience a leadership priority."

Senate Democrats were unconvinced. Their letter called the situation "preventable" and compared it to the USS Gerald R. Ford's more than 300-day deployment earlier this year. "The USS Lincoln was redirected to the Middle East as the war with Iran began and has remained there as that war has dragged on with no clear endpoint," the letter said. "This is a symptom of poor planning by both you and the President and exacerbated by the deeply unsound decision to start a war with Iran." It closed: "It is time for you to demonstrate leadership, rather than peddle excuses."

The signers included Armed Services ranking member Jack Reed of Rhode Island, Gary Peters, Jeanne Shaheen, Mark Kelly, Tim Kaine, Patty Murray, Blumenthal, Mazie Hirono, Tammy Duckworth, Elissa Slotkin, Kirsten Gillibrand and Angus King, per the Jerusalem Post, which counted 12 signatories. The BBC reported that 13 Democrats on the Senate Armed Services Committee signed.

Families have been blunt. At the town hall, one spouse tearfully told officials she had received a message from her husband that day saying "he hopes he doesn't wake up tomorrow," Stars and Stripes reported. A mother described her daughter saying she felt she would never get home and believed she was going to die on the ship, according to MS Now. Two wives separately told Military Times their husbands had tried to jump from the ship.

Hegseth last week called reports of conditions "completely misrepresented." The Navy acknowledged supply challenges but denied a mental health crisis, the BBC reported.

Moore, a Democrat and Army veteran, told CNN on Sunday the reported conditions were "heartbreaking" and that Trump should show "more compassion." Raw Story reported that Cooper's message drew a backlash online, with critics accusing the admiral of "gaslighting" and calling it "disheartening."