Trump’s war of choice in Iran is straining the armed forces for nothing | Editorial
Desperation aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln, which the president has dismissed, is a consequence of a pointless conflict.
Donald Trump has authored a whole anthology of aphorisms demonstrating his deep disdain for the military he commands. He derided those killed in action as “suckers and losers,” said in reference to former prisoner of war John McCain that he prefers troops who weren’t captured, and said his “own personal Vietnam” was avoiding sexually transmitted infections while dating in New York City.
The president’s latest entry arrived when he was asked about reports of miserable conditions and attempted suicides aboard the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, which has almost nine consecutive months at sea and remains in the Middle East in support of his losing war. Trump replied that the deployment had been “not nearly long enough.” He and his defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, also denied the accuracy of the stories, which originated in military-focused publications hearing directly from the families of the ship’s sailors.
Whatever happened to “We’re redoubling our efforts to get our troops everything they need,” “The American people appreciate their selfless service,” or “Here’s why these sacrifices are necessary”?
Trump isn’t just congenitally unable to respond with proper respect and humility to the hardships he is requiring of the armed forces. He is also presiding over a war that is glaringly bereft of a clear mission, identifiable accomplishment, congressional authorization, or public support. The Lincoln’s increasingly grueling service symbolizes those failures as the hostilities drag on beyond Trump’s own deadline for a durable settlement.
The Abraham Lincoln left San Diego with some 5,000 sailors and Marines aboard in November, and has made only two brief stops in port since. Its total deployment has now lasted more than 270 days, longer than almost any in the last half century. Since the actual Vietnam War — the one Trump skipped with the reported assistance of a sympathetic Queens podiatrist — the only more extensive deployment was of the USS Gerald R. Ford, which spent 326 days at sea, also under the Trump administration.
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During that time, the Ford suffered a fire that injured several sailors as well as serious plumbing problems, especially while it was supporting another of Trump’s unauthorized military engagements, in Venezuela. The Lincoln has also endured malfunctioning plumbing along with inadequate supplies of food and toiletries, strenuous consecutive weeks of combat operations, and mail disruptions — its logistical challenges magnified by Iranian attacks on U.S. bases in the region.
The Lincoln’s low morale has been exacerbated by repeated extensions of its scheduled deployment with no end in sight until recently, when officials began promising relief in the wake of the damning reports of the crew’s struggles. The Military Times reported that two sailors had attempted to jump overboard out of despair. Adm. Brad Cooper, the leader of U.S. Central Command, who recently visited the Lincoln on a damage control mission, defended conditions aboard by noting that the ship has seen fewer mental health cases than other carriers, which isn’t the most reassuring commentary on the state of the fleet.
The admiral also noted that deployments at sea are inherently challenging, which is surely true. The inevitable stresses of service are compounded, however, by the commander in chief’s inability to forthrightly acknowledge and honor the military’s sacrifices, let alone coherently explain why they’re being made or when they might end.
