U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth concealed the extent of Iranian strikes that destroyed the main American resupply base in the Middle East, according to an allegation by MS Now senior national security reporter David Rohde, as concerns mount over conditions faced by sailors aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln.
During a segment on MS Now addressing President Donald Trump‘s dismissal of reports of low morale and mental health concerns among crew members during an extended deployment, Rohde said the carrier’s resupply problems occurred “because Pete Hegseth hid the fact that Iran destroyed the main resupply base that the United States has in the Gulf.” He added, “He did not make that public in press conference after press conference and that is, again, the way that they have mishandled this war.”
Acting Pentagon Press Secretary Joel Valdez rejected the claim in a statement to Newsweek, calling it “obviously false” and describing it as “crazy lies from a Fake News outlet with Hegseth Derangement Syndrome.” Rohde’s specific allegation that Hegseth deliberately concealed the base’s destruction has not been independently substantiated, though multiple outlets have confirmed the underlying damage to the facility and its connection to the carrier’s supply troubles.
The Bahrain strike and its fallout
The controversy traces back to Iranian missile and drone strikes on Naval Support Activity Bahrain, the Navy’s primary logistics hub for U.S. Central Command operations in the region. The strikes caused devastating damage that was not acknowledged by the Pentagon. Citing satellite imagery, The Wall Street Journal reported that command headquarters, other buildings and two satellite communications terminals were damaged at the Bahrain site.
The loss of the hub forced a dramatic shift in U.S. logistics. A U.S. military official confirmed that Diego Garcia, a remote island roughly 2,200 miles from the carrier strike groups operating in the Gulf of Oman, became the primary shipment point shortly after the Bahrain facility sustained heavy damage. The shift stretched resupply lines and made the Indian Ocean atoll a target in its own right. Iran launched two medium-range ballistic missiles at Diego Garcia. One landed short in the sea while a U.S. warship intercepted the second.
Trump dismisses concerns
President Trump downplayed the reported problems while speaking at a military air base in Maryland, saying of the Lincoln, “That ship is moving right now, or very shortly and it’s being replaced with another, very similar, ship.” The Lincoln’s designated replacement is the Japan-based carrier USS George Washington, which was heading west through the Strait of Malacca in Indonesian waters en route to the Middle East.
Hegseth has repeatedly pushed back on descriptions of poor shipboard conditions. Speaking to a reporter from Newsmax while visiting Panama, he said the situation aboard the Lincoln had been “completely misrepresented,” adding, “We make sure that every ship, every crew, every captain has everything we can provide them at every single moment. Some deployments are longer than others and I have more respect and gratitude for those sailors than anybody.” He also said he wants service members home “as soon as everybody else” does, noting that his commanders, the service secretaries and President Trump all expect that outcome.
U.S. Central Command, which oversees military operations in the Middle East, said in a social media post that no service members aboard the aircraft carrier have died during the deployment and that the one sailor who fell overboard was quickly and safely recovered.
Senators demand answers
Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, wrote to Hegseth and Acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao to express “serious concern” about the carrier’s extended deployment. In the letter, Blumenthal cited “widespread reports of shortages of basic supplies, water contamination, plumbing issues, deteriorating mental health, deck safety concerns” aboard the ship, as well as “disruptions in the mail system, which have caused many care packages in route to the ship to be lost in transit for months.”
California Rep. Mike Levin separately raised concerns about living conditions on the carrier, citing issues including broken toilets, moldy showers, limited hot water and shortages of basic hygiene products.
The Navy disputed characterizations that suicide-related incidents had increased. In a statement to CNN, officials said “We have not observed an increase in suicidal ideations or attempts aboard the ship. We take every service member’s well-being seriously and have religious, medical and mental health professionals available to assess and address concerns as they arise.”
Families describe conditions aboard the carrier
Family members of sailors serving on the Lincoln have described a strained environment during the ship’s extended time at sea. Annabelle Loma told Navy Times that her husband was “burnt out” and had attempted to jump overboard from the Lincoln during the current deployment. Multiple outlets, including Stars and Stripes and Military Times, reported separate incidents in which crew members attempted to go overboard. One sailor was intercepted by fellow service members before jumping and another was rescued from the water after roughly an hour.
Acting Navy Secretary Cao spoke with family members about concerns over sailors’ safety and told relatives during one conversation that the Lincoln would be relieved by the USS Theodore Roosevelt carrier group, though he did not specify a timeline, according to MS Now.
Adm. Brad Cooper, the CENTCOM commander, visited the carrier after Military Times reported that two service members had attempted to jump overboard during the deployment’s extension. He met personally with sailors and Marines aboard the ship.
Deployment length draws scrutiny
The Lincoln’s deployment has stretched to nearly nine months, with a brief port call in Guam, while most carrier deployments typically run between six and seven months with regular port calls to refuel and allow crew members to rest. Blumenthal’s letter noted that the extended stretch amounted to the longest period between port calls in Navy history.
Former Defense Secretary Leon Panetta criticized the handling of the situation, calling it “inexcusable.”
Strait of Hormuz claims also disputed
Rohde separately challenged Trump’s repeated assertions that the Strait of Hormuz was fully open and under U.S. control. The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Centre reported that a ship was attacked as it attempted to exit the strait, contradicting claims of unimpeded passage.
Newsweek reached out to Bahrain’s foreign ministry for comment and had not received a response at the time of publication.
