Top US military commander lauds leadership of USS Lincoln

A Top US military commander in the Middle East praises

the leadership of the long-deployed USS Abraham Lincoln

after visiting the sailors on the vessel during a regional tour

This after US President Donald Trump says record-setting Navy

deployment to support Iran operations was "not nearly long enough"

following reports of mental health and supply issues on board.

The US Central Command releases images of Admiral Brad Cooper's visit

to the USS Abraham Lincoln during a regional tour that ended on Saturday.

Images of Cooper talking to and shaking hands with sailors emerge following

allegations of mental health concerns and supply issues on board the long-deployed

vessel.

For more than 240 days at sea since the US-Iran war,

the vessel had been supporting US' efforts, including the blockade on

Iranian ports.

The visit comes after concerns over extended deployments of the

carrier, which can have more than 5,000

sailors and Marines on board.

Cooper, a top US military commander in the Middle East, took the opportunity

to praise leadership of the USS Lincoln for making

mental health and resilience a priority.

In a statement, Cooper calls the deployment "one of the most operationally

intense and consequential of the modern era."

Last week, US President Donald Trump said the Lincoln's historically-extended

deployment was "not nearly long enough."

Since the reports surfaced, the USS George Washington is reportedly being

sent to replace the USS Lincoln.

This comes at a time of a latest report of a four-day power outage on board the

guided-missile destroyer USS Benfold as it was deployed in the South China Sea.

The incident last month was due to an engine issue affecting

galley services and the supply of potable water, according to

Commander Matthew Comer, spokesperson with the US 7th Fleet,

as reported in USNI News.

The USS Washington was also sent to reinforce that destroyer at the time.