What are the basic facts of the case? The Lincoln has been deployed for an extended period, well beyond the planned time at sea. But long naval deployments are nothing new. The Lincoln has been operating at a very high tempo, which places a great deal of pressure on the operators. Launching and recovering aircraft during normal operations is stressful. That stress is multiplied when these actions are under combat conditions.  At least one sailor has reportedly attempted suicide, raising potential mental health issues. The delivery of rations via “underway replenishment” (UNREP) has been adversely affected by damage to U.S. bases in Bahrain. But sensationalized media coverage of the affair has exaggerated the situation and has been a disservice to the sailors and Marines of the Lincoln.

It seems clear that reactions to the stories about the Lincoln reflect partisan tropes, indeed cliches, blaming conditions on preferred villains: Sailors are being “victimized” by President Donald Trump’s unnecessary war, or today’s youth are “soft,” a bunch of whiny crybabies. But the situation with the Lincoln is complex: What is happening results from a confluence of factors: high-tempo combat operations, partisan politics, the ubiquity of social media, and widespread ignorance about military affairs on the part of the American people. Context matters. Here are some of the arguments being made.

Trump’s war

Reasonable people can debate the necessity for military action against Iran, but it is undeniable that we have been at war with Iran since 1979. It is also the case that every American president since that time has declared his opposition to Iran’s possession of nuclear weapons. But none have acted on this principle until Trump.

The conduct of the war is certainly subject to criticism: the failure to clearly delineate objectives, the start-stop-restart character of the conflict, and contradictory public statements by the president himself, especially on social media. But the president has the constitutional authority to execute military action. Congress has the “power of the purse” to constrain him.

Sailors as ‘victims’

One troubling, indeed reprehensible, response to the Lincoln affair is to treat those aboard as “victims” of Trump’s war and Hegseth’s incompetence. This trope is a throwback to Vietnam, when it became fashionable to claim that veterans of the war were victims.

It has been my experience that the number of veterans from that war who accept that claim is very low. I addressed this issue over two decades ago in the pages of the Wall Street Journal (“Vietnam Veterans Aren’t Victims,” July 13, 2000). Vietnam veterans to this day may disagree among themselves regarding the wisdom of the war and how it was conducted, they may harbor resentment against the policymakers who directed it, but polls and studies indicate that the vast majority are proud of their service during that conflict.

I think if we were to poll those aboard the Lincoln, the results would be the same. The vast majority of those embarked on the aircraft carrier are executing their duties effectively and efficiently. Indeed, the reenlistment rate aboard the Lincoln is among the highest in the Navy. Of course, every military organization has its share of malingerers and crybabies, and this, along with the proliferation of social media and the predisposition of news organizations to believe the worst about the Trump administration, has magnified the normal friction associated with military operations, transforming it into an unprecedented catastrophe.

The alleged ‘softness’ of today’s youth

Another theme in Lincoln affair is the issue of the “softness” of today’s youth. This, of course, is a variation on a theme as old as war itself: The older generations always had it harder than the most recent one. In many respects, this is true. My dad, a Marine in World War II, had it harder than I did as a Marine in Vietnam. For instance, during the Vietnam War, the system of medical care — relatively quick evacuation to lifesaving medical facilities — substantially reduced the fatality rate associated with battlefield wounds, compared to World War II. It’s even better now.

But the claim that today’s sailors are less committed to the service than the “old salts” is unfair to the former. Indeed, it is a slander. The sad part of this claim is that it is all too often leveled by veterans.

Time at sea and port calls

As noted, the Abraham Lincoln has been deployed well past its originally planned time at sea. Long stretches without shore liberty clearly affect morale, especially during high-tempo operations. But such extensions are nothing new. And the fact is that port calls depend on operational necessity. An important consideration is a vessel’s vulnerability in port. A carrier battle group at sea depends on layered defense and surveillance provided by the carrier escorts (cruisers and destroyers) and the ability of the battle group to maneuver. What constitutes a safe port in time of war is determined by operational considerations. Sometimes, the safest place for a ship is at sea.

Shipboard conditions

A nuclear-powered vessel is an amazing development in maritime history. Ironically, it is nuclear propulsion that has made its long deployment possible. In the age of sail, a ship could go where the wind took it, but of course, it had to go to port to replenish food and other necessary provisions. As sailing ships gave way to coal, vessels depended on coaling stations ashore. The shift from coal to oil changed requirements again. During World War II, the U.S. Navy was able to refuel using fleet oilers, but again, the range of a ship was limited by logistical circumstances. Such limits don’t exist for nuclear-powered ships. In addition, the U.S. Navy long ago perfected “underway replenishment,” enabling the resupply of combatants without returning to port.

A nuclear carrier is a floating city, populated by about 5,000 sailors and Marines. On the one hand, vessels like the Lincoln provide morale, welfare, and recreation amenities that were unknown in the past and usually not available today on smaller vessels. On the other hand, naval vessels are not cruise ships. Salt water is the enemy of steel. Corrosion is a constant.  Maintenance is the responsibility of the crew, whether it involves the propulsion system, living spaces, or aircraft launching equipment. And when underway, replenishment is interrupted, embarked personnel make do with less desirable rations, i.e., dry goods.

Social media and Iranian information operations

A prominent feature of conflict today is the ubiquity of social media, which not only can adversely affect operational security but also contribute to the dissemination of propaganda. This is especially concerning in an age of artificial intelligence. AI-generated stories about the Lincoln on social media, including “deep fake” manipulation of images, have become routine. It is increasingly difficult for people to discern between truth and falsehood. There are indications that Iran has employed AI manipulation of social media in an attempt to shape American public opinion.

Writing in the Middle East Insider on Aug. 17 (“Tehran’s War on American Morale”), Gregg Roman provides an example:

<BLOCKQUOTE> Mehr News, a wire service of the Islamic Republic, reported a violent clash aboard USS Abraham Lincoln: seven dead, several wounded, an adviser to the CENTCOM commander booed and pelted with water bottles on the deck of America’s flagship in the Arabian Sea. The source was Tasnim, an outlet tied to the Revolutionary Guard, citing one anonymous “informed military source.” </BLOCKQUOTE>

<BLOCKQUOTE> “No U.S. sailors died. That’s not the point. The point is that a state at war with the United States manufactured their deaths, on a schedule, for an audience, and most of Washington still discusses it as a media story. It is not a media story. It is a military operation aimed at the one American system Tehran can actually reach: the will of the force, and the families behind it.” </BLOCKQUOTE>

Of course, information warfare is not new. Russia and China used it against the United States during the Cold War. The North Vietnamese used it against us as well. We have employed it in the past against our enemies. I trust we are doing so now against Iran.

A republic requires its citizens to be able to separate truth from falsehood, so Americans need to be cognizant of the Iranian weaponization of stories like the Abraham Lincoln as an information operation. Its main purpose is to deepen the fissures that already afflict American politics.

HEGSETH AND THE FUTURE OF PROFESSIONAL MILITARY EDUCATION           

Service at sea is difficult, even during routine peacetime deployments. Sea duty exerts a tremendous toll on sailors. Carrier operations are particularly high-risk and unforgiving. The sailors and Marines of the Lincoln are carrying a heavy burden, but they are far from breaking. While we must acknowledge the very real burden, we must avoid overreacting.

As Admiral Cooper noted, the Lincoln strike group has been involved in the most sustained naval combat since World War II. The ships’ crews have performed outstandingly, displaying great courage and resilience. As Thucydides teaches us, war is a stern master. But as the Marines like to say, it is the fighting man’s duty to “embrace the suck.” The Lincoln deserves better than to be used as a pawn in partisan politics.

Dr. Mackubin Owens is a retired Marine and former Naval War College professor.