Navy Families Blast Trump, Hegseth Over Dismissed Deployment Concerns

Families of US sailors deployed for months amid the Iran war have reacted with fury after President Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth dismissed their concerns about conditions aboard American warships.

The Guardian spoke to three naval families with loved ones aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln and USS Tripoli, all of whom spoke anonymously for fear of retribution against active-duty relatives. They described insufficient food that has led sailors to lose 20 to 30 pounds since deployment began five months ago, along with poor-quality drinking water and scarce mental health counseling.

The USS Abraham Lincoln, an aircraft carrier carrying more than 5,000 sailors and Marines, has been at sea for nearly nine months since departing in November. There have been reports of multiple suicide attempts, including sailors jumping overboard.

Asked Friday whether naval families were worried about conditions aboard the ship, Trump said, "No, they're not," adding that the Lincoln's deployment was "not nearly long enough." Hegseth said the situation aboard the Lincoln had been "completely misrepresented."

The sister of a Lincoln crew member in his late 30s said the comments made her furious. "Now you have the commander-in-chief and defense secretary dismissing their experiences and calling them liars. I'm really angry," she said, calling it "a feeling of betrayal."

Text messages she shared showed her brother describing water so bad that drinking containers were removed, and a five-week wait to see the ship's only psychiatrist after the deployment resilience counselor quit.

The mother of another Lincoln sailor said her son was not being properly fed or supplied clean water. "He didn't sign up for that," she said.

The mother of a sailor aboard the USS Tripoli, an amphibious assault ship, said her son lost more than 30 pounds during five months of deployment, calling him "emaciated." Text messages showed him describing burnout and hunger, saying coworkers shared food when they could.

CNN has reported that a sailor aboard the Lincoln went overboard earlier this month and was rescued by helicopter. Centcom did not respond to a request for comment. The Wall Street Journal has reported that the USS George Washington is being sent to replace the Lincoln, though one family member said she would believe relief was coming only when it happened, noting a previous relief ship was diverted to Guam.