Carolyn Becraft Slams Defense Officials Over USS Abraham Lincoln Conditions

Carolyn Becraft, the former Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Manpower and Reserve Affairs, criticized the President of the United States and the Secretary of Defense for ignoring poor living and working conditions aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln.

Becraft reported that over half of the approximately 5,000 service members on the aircraft carrier are in the lowest enlisted pay grades and are subjected to 18-hour daily workloads. She detailed a systemic failure in quality of life, citing a lack of privacy, inadequate food and supplies, and deteriorating sewage and water systems that have severely damaged crew morale.

Becraft commended the Navy spouses and family members who exposed these issues to the public. She called on members of Congress to hold the Department of Defense accountable for the deteriorating infrastructure and the treatment of sailors on the vessel.