USS Abraham Lincoln departs Middle East after nine-month mission

The USS Abraham Lincoln is leaving the Middle East after a nine-month deployment, with its sailors and Marines set to return to the United States, a U.S. official confirmed to CBS News.

The Japan-based USS George Washington has arrived in the region to replace the Abraham Lincoln.

The Abraham Lincoln and its roughly 5,000 crew members left San Diego on Nov. 21. Its deployment was extended after the war with Iran began in February, increasing the workload for the carrier and its crew. The ship has served as a launch point for thousands of aircraft flights supporting U.S. strikes.

The prolonged deployment has prompted concerns from family members about mental health conditions aboard the ship, as well as sanitary conditions and food shortages. The concerns, reported by Military Times and Stars and Stripes, have also drawn attention on Capitol Hill.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and President Donald Trump have sought to dismiss the concerns. Trump said the ship had not been deployed long enough, while Acting Secretary of the Navy Hung Cao said media coverage of conditions aboard the carrier had been "dishonest."

U.S. Central Command Adm. Brad Cooper visited the Abraham Lincoln over the weekend in response to the complaints.

"Deployment at sea is uniquely challenging and tough, and every single one of us, including me, reacts to stressors in different ways," Cooper said.

"I've long believed that mental health is another aspect of individual health and requires our attention just like physical health and spiritual health," he added, while not confirming any specific issues.

The Navy said it had not seen an increase in reported suicide attempts or suicidal ideation aboard the ship. It is investigating an Aug. 3 incident in which a sailor fell overboard and was recovered.

Jefferson Kelley, whose son Jackson is serving aboard the Lincoln on his first deployment, said he was eager for his son's return.

"What's going through my mind as a parent is that need to want to be there, to want to be there for your child," Kelley told CBS News last week. "I would get on a plane or helicopter tonight to get shipped out to the Lincoln if it meant bringing him home to his mom and his siblings and his family."

The carrier is expected to take roughly three weeks to return to San Diego.

By Aghakazim Guliyev