The leader of U.S. Central Command, Adm. Brad Cooper, wrote Sunday that his recent visit to the USS Abraham Lincoln was “awe-inspiring” and hailed the crew’s “resilience” following rising concerns about mental health and deteriorating conditions aboard the aircraft carrier.
\n\nIn interviews with NBC News and other outlets, family members of some of the thousands of people aboard the ship have described a lack of supplies and food and an overall deteriorating mental health situation with multiple sailors having attempted to jump overboard.
\n\nThe ship has not made a port call in more than 200 days, setting a modern-day record for consecutive days at sea, according to Democratic lawmakers who have called for answers.
\n\nCooper wrote in a statement posted on social media on Sunday that the Lincoln had the lowest number of mental health cases of the Navy’s 11 active aircraft carriers. But he did seem to acknowledge the difficulty of the deployment.
\n\n“This doesn’t mean that all is perfect. Find any of the nearly 4 million Navy veterans in America today and they will likely tell you that service at sea for long periods isn’t for everyone. It is uniquely challenging and tough, and every single one of…
Original source: https://www.nbcnews.com/business