Washington, 14 August 2026 (dpa/MIA) - The US military has rejected reports of poor conditions aboard the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, which has been deployed in the Middle East, saying the ship has one of the US Navy's highest crew reenlistment rates.

US Central Command (CENTCOM), which oversees US military operations in the region, said on X on Thursday that 84.4% of the crew had chosen to remain in the military after their contracts expired. It said sailors and marines remained resilient and determined after spending more than 260 days at sea.

CENTCOM also denied reports that a crew member had died aboard the carrier. A sailor who went overboard on August 3 was quickly and safely recovered, it said, describing the reports as false.

"The rampant misreporting on Abraham Lincoln's historic deployment is a disservice to our men and women in uniform and their loved ones," CENTCOM said.

Iranian media had reported that seven people were killed in violent clashes aboard the carrier and that tensions among the crew were high.

Reports cite shortages and mental health concerns

US Senator Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut had called on the government to explain how it was supporting personnel aboard the carrier, citing reports of shortages, problems with sanitation facilities and deteriorating mental health.

The reports included shortages of soap, blocked toilets and concerns about safety on the ship's exposed decks. Disruptions to the mail system had also reportedly left supply packages addressed to crew members in transit for months.

Democratic Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer separately called for Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to be removed, saying sailors were paying the price for his alleged incompetence.

Carrier reportedly set for replacement

The Wall Street Journal, CNN and NBC News reported that the Abraham Lincoln would be withdrawn from the Middle East and replaced by the USS George Washington. CNN said the rotation had already been planned before the complaints emerged.

However, it was unclear how long the process would take. According to NBC, such a changeover usually takes several weeks. The Pentagon and CENTCOM declined to comment when contacted by dpa, citing the need to protect operational security.

The US Navy had stated earlier that the George Washington arrived in Da Nang, Vietnam, at the end of July. On Wednesday, it was revealed that the carrier group had already left the port city in the South-East Asian country on August 5, but its destination was still unclear.

The Abraham Lincoln and its accompanying ships had increased the US military presence in the Middle East after being deployed from the South China Sea in early January. The US and Israel began military strikes against Iran on February 28, and the carrier has since operated in the Arabian Sea as part of a US naval blockade aimed at preventing ships from entering or leaving Iranian ports.

MIA file photo