After Trump Says Carrier Deployment Not Long Enough, Mullen Warns of Risks

About 5,000 sailors and Marines are aboard the carrier, which has operated for more than 200 consecutive days without a port call.

Trump acknowledged that he's used the U.S. military “a little bit more than I wanted to," while asserting anew that the U.S. operation against Iran is going well.

The Lincoln has now spent about nine months at sea, including more than 200 days without a port call and months of sustained combat operations in Iran war.

President Trump on Friday pushed back against concerns about conditions aboard the USS Lincoln, a key ship in the Iran war. CBS News' Eleanor Watson has more.

Trump Says USS Lincoln Deployment 'Was Not Nearly Long Enough'  WSJ

Long carrier deployment tests US naval power  Dawn

Trump says record-setting Navy deployment to support Iran operations ‘not nearly long enough’  Chicago Tribune

Asked by reporters whether family members were worried about the situation on the USS Abraham Lincoln, Trump said “no, they’re not.”

U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday downplayed the toll on American sailors enduring a record-setting deployment of nearly nine months on the USS Abraham Lincoln as concerns escalated about mental health and supply issues aboard the aircraft carrier supporting U.S. operations against Iran.

The USS Abraham Lincoln will be ending its record-breaking, 266-day deployment amid concerns over the mental health of its crew, Navy officials said.

Lawmakers are pressing for answers amid reports that sailors aboard the San Diego-based carrier have endured food shortages, plumbing failures and severe fatigue.

Trump dismisses criticism of USS Lincoln, says deployment 'not long enough'  USA Today

Trump Says Prolonged Deployment Of USS Lincoln Is 'Not Nearly Long Enough'  huffpost.com

Trump said USS Lincoln family members are not concerned about conditions.

The president refuted that family members have raised concerns about the deployment’s length and even said that the more than 260-day deployment is “not nearly long enough.”

Trump’s Pentagon didn’t plan for a long war. The sailors trapped at sea are living with the consequences.

President Donald Trump downplays concerns about deteriorating conditions aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln.

President Donald Trump downplays concerns about the USS Abraham Lincoln's extended deployment in the Middle East

Trump says record-setting Navy deployment to support Iran operations 'not nearly long enough'  AP News

Trump says USS Lincoln’s deployment was ‘not nearly long enough’  CNN

President Trump dismissed family worries over the USS Abraham Lincoln's grueling 8-month deployment, claiming it has "not nearly" been long enough.

Some sailors have reportedly tried throwing themselves into the sea, basic supplies can run short and sanitation is going awry: life on America's giant Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier is increasingly difficult as the Iran war drags on. The ship -- now in its ninth month of deployment -- is expected to

Concern about living conditions on a US aircraft carrier that has been deployed in the Middle East for more than 250 days is leading a US senator to demand answers from the military about the vessel and putting more pressure on the Trump administration over the Iran war.

"If we expect the ship to endure, we have to maintain it. If we expect the crew to endure, we have to sustain them," an active-duty sailor argues.

There are reports of food shortages, broken plumbing and other potential harms aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln, which has been at sea since November.

Mental Health Crisis Brewing Aboard USS Abraham Lincoln Amid Near Record-Breaking Deployment  Forbes