San Diego Congress members ask for independent investigation into USS Abraham Lincoln deployment

By Union Bulletin 

San Diego’s Democratic congressional delegation on Monday requested an investigation into the monthslong deployment of the locally based USS Abraham Lincoln following reports of sailors living in deplorable conditions while serving on the longest consecutive stretch at sea without a port call in modern U.S. military history.

U.S. Congressmembers Scott Peters, Juan Vargas, Mike Levin and Sara Jacobs, as well as California U.S. Sens. Adam Schiff and Alex Padilla, have asked the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General to “undertake an independent review of the processes, rationale, and decisions surrounding the extended deployment” of the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier and the strike group it is leading.

The Lincoln, based out of Naval Air Station North Island, and Carrier Strike Group 3 have been deployed for more than 240 days and at sea for more than 200.

In a letter, the lawmakers asked the Inspector General about supply shortages on the ship, the sailors’ training and mental health support for the extended deployment, and how the Navy perceives the strike group’s future readiness.

The elected officials wrote that reports of food shortages, unsanitary conditions and a lack of other essential supplies put service members in “horrific conditions,” while also showing vulnerabilities in the military’s logistics.

“The San Diego military community is a linchpin of our nation’s Pacific strategy, and it will take significant effort to restore morale and capacity after the strike group comes back home,” the letter reads. “An independent review and recommendations for improvement would identify what happened and provide us with oversight tools to ensure the wellbeing of our constituents and safeguard our Navy.”

The letter to the OIG comes three days after members of the Senate Armed Services Committee, as well as the Democratic leaders of the Senate Appropriations Committee and Subcommittee on Defense, sent a letter to Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth demanding answers about deteriorating conditions aboard the Lincoln. The San Diego lawmakers sent a similar letter last week.

The strike group left from San Diego on Nov. 21 to patrol the Indo-Pacific, but it diverted to the Middle East, arriving in January to support the U.S. war against Iran through blockades of the country’s ports.

In the last few weeks, the aircraft carrier garnered international attention as stories began to be reported by families of sailors who said the ship was suffering from food shortages, plumbing issues, a lack of supplies and plummeting morale.

San Diego’s Democratic congressional delegation on Monday requested an investigation into the monthslong deployment of the locally based USS Abraham Lincoln following reports of sailors living in deplorable conditions while serving on the longest consecutive stretch at sea without a port call in modern U.S. military history.

U.S. Congressmembers Scott Peters, Juan Vargas, Mike Levin and Sara Jacobs, as well as California U.S. Sens. Adam Schiff and Alex Padilla, have asked the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General to “undertake an independent review of the processes, rationale, and decisions surrounding the extended deployment” of the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier and the strike group it is leading.

The Lincoln, based out of Naval Air Station North Island, and Carrier Strike Group 3 have been deployed for more than 240 days and at sea for more than 200.

In a letter, the lawmakers asked the Inspector General about supply shortages on the ship, the sailors’ training and mental health support for the extended deployment, and how the Navy perceives the strike group’s future readiness.

The elected officials wrote that reports of food shortages, unsanitary conditions and a lack of other essential supplies put service members in “horrific conditions,” while also showing vulnerabilities in the military’s logistics.

“The San Diego military community is a linchpin of our nation’s Pacific strategy, and it will take significant effort to restore morale and capacity after the strike group comes back home,” the letter reads. “An independent review and recommendations for improvement would identify what happened and provide us with oversight tools to ensure the wellbeing of our constituents and safeguard our Navy.”

The letter to the OIG comes three days after members of the Senate Armed Services Committee, as well as the Democratic leaders of the Senate Appropriations Committee and Subcommittee on Defense, sent a letter to Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth demanding answers about deteriorating conditions aboard the Lincoln. The San Diego lawmakers sent a similar letter last week.

The strike group left from San Diego on Nov. 21 to patrol the Indo-Pacific, but it diverted to the Middle East, arriving in January to support the U.S. war against Iran through blockades of the country’s ports.

In the last few weeks, the aircraft carrier garnered international attention as stories began to be reported by families of sailors who said the ship was suffering from food shortages, plumbing issues, a lack of supplies and plummeting morale.