Deep Intel on Carrier LINCOLN's Morale Crisis

For years we’ve covered how U.S. Navy carrier strike group deployments have been steadily getting longer as a function of a decrease in the number of ships against a constant demand signal of operational commitments across the globe. We talked about this in detail in the retention episode we did a few weeks ago. Back in my day when we had 15 carrier strike groups the normal deployment length was six months. Two decades later we’re down to 11 carrier strike groups and the normal deployment length has grown to 9-11 months. Add an extended shooting war and in short order the fleet winds up facing challenges, some foreseen and some not. The 37-year-old Nimitz class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) has become the poster child for the confluence of all of these factors, and families of the crew have gone public with their concerns about the sailors’ mental health, safety on deck, a lack of supplies, food shortages, water contamination and disruptions in the mail system, which have caused many care packages en route to the ship to be lost in transit for months. Lincoln’s quality of life issues first made the rounds last April when this image was posted to social media showing a mess tray with a thin slice of mystery meat, a lump of something kinda resembling refried beans, and carrots representing the typical meal on the carrier at that time. That image was quickly dismissed by Secretary Hegseth as “fake news.” Now four months later, the swell of rumors about poor conditions on the carrier picked up by the press is reaching average Americans and lawmakers are demanding answers from the Pentagon. Now four months later, the swell of rumors about poor conditions on the carrier picked up by the press is reaching average Americans and lawmakers are demanding answers from the Pentagon. In this episode Mooch goes in depth about what is actually happening aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln and the Navy in general. Subscribe to THE MOOCH REPORT, the channel's weekly newsletter with updates and highlights, here: https://themoochreport.substack.com Get PUNK'S FORCE, the fourth novel in the Punk Series that was just released, here: https://www.usni.org/press/books/punks-force (use the code PUNK40 at checkout for 40% off!) or here: https://www.amazon.com/Punks-Force-Novel-Ward-Carroll/dp/1682476618/ref=asc_df_1682476618 Buy one or all three of the rest of the PUNK series, Ward's popular novels about life a Tomcat squadron, in KINDLE format here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09R1MX8SY And as an audiobook here: PUNK'S WAR: https://www.audible.com/pd/Punks-War-Audiobook/B09QH7PW9D PUNK'S WING: https://www.amazon.com/Punks-Wing-Punk-Book-2/dp/B09QH9V7FT PUNK'S FIGHT: https://www.amazon.com/Punks-Fight-Punk-Book-3/dp/B09QH9HQ1Z PUNK'S FORCE: https://www.audible.com/pd/Punks-Force-Audiobook/B0DXQCPP5C

SOURCE: Ward Carroll ↗