Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth "hid" how Iran had destroyed much of the main resupply base for the U.S. military in the Middle East, according to MS Now, as concerns grow about the conditions faced by sailors on board USS Abraham Lincoln. The network's senior national security reporter David Rohde made the claim about the aircraft carrier, which, according to The New York Times, has faced supply problems since Iranian strikes hit the logistics hub Naval Support Activity Bahrain at the start of the war. During a segment in MS Now discussing President Donald Trump's dismissal of reports of low morale and the mental health concerns of those aboard the carrier during an unusually long deployment, Rohde said the resupply issue was "because Pete Hegseth hid the fact that Iran destroyed the main resupply base that the United States has in the Gulf." "He did not make that public in press conference after press conference, and that is, again, the way that they have mishandled this war," Rohde added.
Citing satellite imagery, The Wall Street Journal had reported in June that command headquarters, other buildings, and two satellite communications terminals were damaged in strikes at the Bahrain site. While media have reported that this has resulted in a change in supply bases, Rohde's claims about Hegseth have not been substantiated. Newsweek reached out to the Pentagon and Bahrain's foreign ministry for comment.
The USS Abraham Lincoln is a floating base for extensive aerial combat operations in the Arabian Sea and a critical part of the United States' war on Iran, which started on February 28. Democratic lawmakers have raised the alarm about the effect of more than 260 consecutive days at sea without a port call on crew members. After damage to the Bahrain bases, the Pentagon looked to a base under U.K. command on the island of Diego Garcia as its supply hub, around 2,200 miles from where two aircraft carrier strike groups have been operating in the Gulf of Oman, The New York Times reported.
But this meant the loss of a “liberty port” where a ship’s crew can leave the vessel for free time ashore, the Times said. Democratic critics of the Trump administration's handling of the Lincoln's deployment have included Senators Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut and Ruben Gallego of Arizona. Relatives of the 5,000 personnel on board the Lincoln have raised the alarm over supply shortages, long work schedules and potential for self-harm.
Earlier this month, the wife of a sailor on board the vessel told MS Now about her fears for her spouse after he jumped from the vessel on August 3 before he was rescued after being in the water for about an hour. The woman, who was granted anonymity, told the outlet, “I think that it was handled very poorly because they didn’t inform me and they didn’t want me to know." Trump rejected claims that deployments were too long, saying last week that the ship was "being replaced with another, very similar, ship,” referring to the Japan-based carrier USS George Washington, which has been heading west through the Strait of Malacca in Indonesian waters. Navy admitted that its USS Benfold destroyer had been without power for four days after a major breakdown in the Pacific Ocean on July 24.
The 300-strong crew went without drinking water, meals, functioning toilets and air conditioning, Navy spokesman Commander Matthew Comer said in a statement. Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Matthew Robinson and Sam Wilson.
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