Archive · 15 Aug 2026
Military Families Report Food, Water Shortages Aboard US Ships
Some families of American sailors are saying that life on US Navy ships in the Middle East is very hard.
They say the sailors do not have enough food, water, or soap.
They also say the toilets are broken and the bathrooms are dirty.
Some ships have been at sea for many months without stopping at a port.
One ship, the USS George H.W. Bush, has been at sea for 136 days.
Another ship, the USS Abraham Lincoln, left California in November 2025.
Some sailors feel tired, hungry, and scared, and their families are worried.
The people in charge of the military say these reports are exaggerated and that they give ships everything they can.
Lawmakers want to check on the sailors' living conditions.
New ships are being prepared to take over so the sailors can come home.
Military families and service members report shortages of food, water and supplies, broken plumbing, and exhausting schedules aboard multiple US ships deployed in the Middle East.
A family member said the USS George H.W. Bush had been at sea for 136 days with 'virtually no food, water, or soap.'
A parent alleged that aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln, toilets backed up and roughly six inches of human waste covered restroom floors used by about 200 sailors.
The Lincoln, with about 5,000 crew members, left San Diego in November 2025 and was diverted to the Middle East amid the war with Iran.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth called the reports 'completely misrepresented,' while the Navy acknowledged supply challenges but rejected claims of a wider mental-health crisis.
- Who
- Military families and active-duty service members reporting the conditions, with responses from US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao, and Senator Richard Blumenthal.
- What
- Alleged shortages of food, water and supplies, broken plumbing, exhausting schedules, and mental-health concerns aboard multiple US Navy ships deployed in the Middle East.
- When
- Reports were published Friday, August 14-15, 2026; the USS Abraham Lincoln has been deployed since leaving San Diego in November 2025, and the USS George H.W. Bush reportedly had been at sea for 136 days.
- Where
- US Navy ships in the Middle East, including the USS Abraham Lincoln and USS George H.W. Bush, as well as US deployments in Kuwait.
- Why
- Extended wartime deployments amid the war with Iran and months without port calls have strained living conditions and morale aboard the ships.
Families, service members and critics
Pentagon and Navy officials
Living conditions aboard ships
Families, service members and critics
Families and service members report shortages of food, water and soap, broken plumbing, overflowing toilets, and months without port calls.
Pentagon and Navy officials
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth called the reports 'completely misrepresented' and said the military provides ships and crews with everything it can.
Mental-health crisis
Families, service members and critics
Reports describe deteriorating mental health, alleged suicide attempts aboard the Lincoln, and a service member in Kuwait saying his 'entire mental has been destroyed.'
Pentagon and Navy officials
The US Navy acknowledged supply challenges but rejected claims of a wider mental-health crisis, with officials describing conditions as not unusual for a wartime deployment.
- Ships affected
- USS Abraham Lincoln, USS George H.W. Bush, and other unnamed US ships
- Days at sea (USS George H.W. Bush)
- 136 days
- USS Abraham Lincoln crew size
- Approximately 5,000 members
- Lincoln deployment start
- Left San Diego in November 2025; diverted to the Middle East amid the war with Iran
- Reporting outlet
- MeidasTouch; earlier reports by Navy Times and Stars and Stripes
- Pentagon response
- Secretary Hegseth called reports 'completely misrepresented'; Navy acknowledged supply challenges but rejected claims of a wider mental-health crisis
- Planned relief
- USS George Washington expected to replace the Lincoln; USS Theodore Roosevelt carrier strike group being prepared to relieve it
- Verification status
- Accounts have not been independently verified