Secretary of War Pete Hegseth denied reports of deplorable conditions on the USS Abraham Lincoln, telling reporters Thursday the claims of rotten food, poor conditions and sailors jumping overboard have been “completely misrepresented.”
In a clip shared by NewsMax foreign affairs correspondent Alex Salvi, Hegseth says he wants to get America’s sailors relief from their long deployment as much as anyone.
“Listen, we make sure that every ship, every crew, every captain has everything we can provide them at every single moment,” he said.
The Nimitz-class nuclear-powered aircraft carrier has been in the North Arabian Sea, supporting the United States operations against Iran, a conflict which began Feb. 28 and has shown no signs of stopping.
The vessel deployed from its home base in San Diego on Nov. 21 and was due to return in May, but the deployment was extended.
“Some deployments are longer than others, and I have more respect and gratitude for those sailors than anybody,” Hegseth said. “What they do in those high seas and those austere conditions with fewer port calls — it’s incredible. Americans don’t understand what it’s like to do that.
“So as someone who’s not been on a ship like that but been on long deployments, I feel it. I want them home as soon as everybody else, too. I want folks rotated as quickly as possible. I want the best for them. My commanders know that, our service secretaries know that. The president expects that,” he added.
“And so to that crew and to all those crews, we’re going to do everything we can for you,” Hegseth said. “And we are so grateful for their dedication of that crew and others they’ve held the line for the country and they’ve done a fantastic job.”
