San Diego Congressional Delegation, California Senators Demand Answers Surrounding the Extended Deployment of USS Abraham Lincoln

Washington, DC - Today, Rep. Peters (CA-50) led Senators Alex Padilla (D-CA) and Adam Schiff (D-CA), as well as Reps. Juan Vargas (CA-52), Mike Levin (CA-49), and Sara Jacobs (CA-51) in a letter to the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General (OIG) to request information regarding the USS Abraham Lincoln and Carrier Strike Group 3 (CSG-3)'s extended deployment. The ships departed San Diego on November 21, 2025, and continue to be deployed well beyond their originally anticipated return, including more than 200 consecutive days at sea.

San Diegans understand better than most the sacrifices our servicemembers and their families make. The crew aboard the USS Lincoln deserve better than the horrific conditions in which they continue to operate, and their families deserve answers about when then they'll come home.

In the letter, the lawmakers press the Inspector General to "undertake an independent review of the processes, rationale, and decisions surrounding the extended deployment of the San Diego-homeported USS Abraham Lincoln and Carrier Strike Group 3 (CSG-3)." They write, "credible reports of food shortages, unsanitary conditions, and a lack of other essential supplies demonstrate a jarring vulnerability in the necessary sustainment system supporting the strike group. An independent review would identify where replenishment capacity and logistics routing failed to meet the demands placed on our servicemembers."

The unusually long deployment period and intense combat operations will increase maintenance requirements, which will compromise readiness at a time when we need to be buttressing our presence in the Pacific. The lawmakers requested that the OIG respond to the following questions and provide recommendations for improvement:

1. Did the U.S. Navy's sustainment operations provide effective support to Carrier Strike Group 3? What process failures led to the reported shortages?
2. Were Sailors and Marines in CSG-3 adequately trained, equipped, and supported for a deployment of this length under intense combat conditions?
   1. If not, for what length of deployment were the sailors and Marines in CSG-3 adequately trained, equipped, and supported for?
   2. Were Sailors and Marines in CSG-3 provided adequate mental health support for a deployment of this length and intense combat conditions? If not, for what length of deployment did the sailors and Marines in CSG-3 receive adequate mental health support for?
3. How will the extended deployment affect the strike group's future readiness? Has the Navy already taken any steps to learn from this deployment as the USS George Washington prepares to relieve the USS Abraham Lincoln? If so, please explain what steps.

The lawmakers concluded, "The San Diego military community is a linchpin of our nation's Pacific strategy, and it will take significant effort to restore morale and capacity after the strike group comes back home. An independent review and recommendations for improvement would identify what happened and provide us with oversight tools to ensure the wellbeing of our constituents and safeguard our Navy."

Read the full letter here.

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