Last October, I wrote an article outlining the internal problems plaguing the United States Armed Forces. At that time, I emphasized doctrinal issues where disagreements arose between the political and military leaders of the Pentagon, particularly regarding the new defense strategy prepared by the Trump Administration.
In that writing, I pointed out that Secretary of War Pete Hegseth’s viewpoint—which has established that the focus of U.S. military concerns should be on confronting and defeating internal threats—is resisted by the top brass of the Armed Forces, since a good number of generals and admirals believed that the Secretary was minimizing U.S. competition with China and reducing the country’s role in Europe and other regions of the world.
This critical situation appears to have worsened in the last two months. In this regard, I will mention four fundamental perspectives which, while not the only ones, express aspects of an armed force’s combat capability that undoubtedly influence the determination of its true combat readiness. These are:
- Strategic leadership
- Troop morale
- Infrastructure
- Equipment
Let’s see:
Regarding strategic leadership, the impact of Pete Hegseth’s misguided management of the war department is well known, to the point that on August 6, President Trump himself had to appear publicly to refute that he had tensions with Hegseth motivated by the “false information” that the latter had given him regarding the country’s arms reserves, supposedly depleted during the war against Iran.
Arguing about the only military success achieved by the United States during his term (the incursion into Venezuela and the kidnapping of President Maduro) and blatantly lying about his war with Iran, Trump unleashed a superb attack against the media whom he blames for misinforming about his record which – according to him – includes the successful conclusion of ten wars.
However, the resignation of Army Secretary Dan Driscoll has highlighted the institutional crisis within the War Department under Hegseth’s leadership. This comes on top of a series of dismissals and blocked promotions for high-ranking military officers, generating concern among Republican senators and representatives.
The departure of Driscoll (a MAGA official close to Vice President JD Vance) follows that of Army Chief of Staff Randy A. George amid disagreements over the modernization of the armed forces. Reports indicate that the restructuring undertaken by Hegseth affected more than 10% of the military leadership by halting promotions for dozens of senior officers.
On an interim basis, the position of Army Chief of Staff is being held by General Christopher LaNeve, a close associate of Hegseth, highlighting the internal rift within the Armed Forces. Driscoll’s departure follows those of the Chief of Naval Operations, Admiral Lisa Franchetti , and the Deputy Chief of Staff of the Air Force, General Jim Slife .
Avoiding responsibility for these matters, especially the thorny issue of ammunition stockpiles, Hegseth blamed his undersecretary, Stephen Feinberg, also holding him responsible for failing to ensure that the president was fully informed of the situation.
This context occurs while the Armed Forces face the operational demands derived from the prolongation for more than six months of the West Asian conflict, which has meant a significant logistical strain and a strong impact on the strategic preparation of troops deployed on extended international missions, which has been insistently denied by Trump and Hegseth.
It is no secret that the instability in the leadership of the United States Armed Forces, due to the constant turnover of command positions, creates a leadership vacuum and hinders the technological innovation needed at such a complex time as the present.
Trump and Hegseth’s insistence on maintaining politically appointed interim commanders (to prevent generals and admirals “linked to the Democratic Party” and the woke ideology from attaining positions of power) aims to consolidate a chain of command tied to the Republican Party. The very real possibility of the Republican Party losing control of the Senate, which decides on promotions to generals and admirals, in the upcoming elections is paradoxically prompting Hegseth to try to expedite the process.
On another front, the U.S. Navy faces mounting financial pressure as Washington’s protracted war against Iran has consumed billions of dollars in operating expenses, forcing the institution to divert funds intended for salaries and other military needs. This is impacting weapons stockpiles and military infrastructure, as months of combat operations, naval deployments, and Iranian retaliatory strikes continue to drain the Pentagon’s resources. “The stockpiles are broken,” retired U.S. Navy officer Harlan Ullman told the British newspaper The Guardian.
In another area, the issue of the working and living conditions of the troops, which affects their combat morale, reached a turning point after the Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier spent nine continuous months at sea, showing serious signs of deterioration as reported by the sailors themselves on board the vessel.
Among the problems encountered on this ship, launched in February 1988, were moldy showers that forced their closure for several days. The same occurred with the laundry facilities. Similarly, problems with hot and drinking water were detected, as well as broken toilets that clogged and overflowed, leaving an accumulation of human excrement in the bathrooms used by some 200 sailors.
In addition, crew members reported food shortages and long lines of an hour or more to buy food at the ship’s store. One service member noted in a message to his mother that “sometimes the meal consisted of half a cup of rice and two tortillas,” a claim denounced by Democratic Congressman Mike Levin despite the government’s denial. For an extended period, the sailors had to eat tuna mixed with noodles or hot dogs; several described losing significant weight.
Similarly, the crew She ran out of basic items like toothpaste, deodorant, and soap. Furthermore, there have been mail delays so severe that some care packages disappeared from the system for months.
On another matter as sensitive as the situation of the troops, it should be noted that a sailor reported seeing holes that have been gradually eroding the flight deck, one of the most vulnerable areas of the military vessel, since aircraft with powerful engines can burn sailors and throw them overboard. An officer stated that “the rotating propellers are capable of causing accidents, while the constant loading and unloading of bombs, missiles, and rockets poses a risk of explosions and fires.”
All of this has led to a loss of morale and, consequently, a decline in the fighting spirit of the troops, especially since the Lincoln’s crew has only had two days off the ship since sailing from its home port of San Diego last November. It’s worth noting that this is because the port where this type of vessel typically made stops for troop rest was the Jufair Naval Station. In Bahrain, the base of the US Fifth Fleet, where much of its logistics center was located, now destroyed by Iranian missiles. In the past, these shipments transited through the Strait of Hormuz, which is now impossible due to the risk of Iranian attacks.
Democrat Sara Jacobs, a member of the House Armed Services Committee, warned about the exhaustion and mental health of the marines on board, stating that “history has shown this can have serious consequences, including an increased risk of suicide.” In this context, retired Admiral Mike Mullen, former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, explained that the U.S. bases in Bahrain, Kuwait, and the United Arab Emirates, typically used for crew rest, were rendered unusable after the Iranian attacks. He said, “Those places where we normally went to rest and relax [now] can’t be used.” Several senators and relatives of sailors have raised concerns about the deteriorating mental health of the crew. Under these conditions, relatives reported that several sailors have attempted suicide by jumping overboard due to extreme stress, 12- to 16-hour shifts, and physical exhaustion.
But the problems aren’t unique to the Lincoln. Investigative journalist Seth Harp published photographs of the interior of the aircraft carrier George Washington, which also show mold and deteriorating facilities, despite the ship recently completing a six-year “complex overhaul.” According to Harp, this situation is a result of the U.S. Navy having only “one shipyard capable of refueling and repairing a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier.”
Following the allegations surrounding the situation on the Lincoln, new testimonies began to emerge from people close to military personnel deployed on other ships and even ashore. These individuals claimed to have received direct messages from family members and service members familiar with the matter, who spoke on condition of anonymity and stated that what was being said about the Lincoln was absolutely true. They added that they—in other naval units—were also experiencing difficulties, although not yet to the same degree. They indicated that they had been deployed for five to six months and had not seen land since the beginning of the conflict with the Islamic Republic of Iran .
A message from another aircraft carrier, the George HW Bush, reports the complaint of a sailor assigned to that ship, who returned temporarily to the United States and who bluntly stated that ” morale is low and everyone is miserable. It’s heartbreaking.”
The complaints are not limited to the ships. According to the mother of a soldier deployed in Kuwait, her son’s mental health has severely deteriorated. The woman revealed that the young man was in Kuwait suffering from extreme health problems, adding that he said he felt “tired, hungry, and scared.”
Another testimony, that of the wife of a military officer currently on the Lincoln, stated that her husband told her that “they desperately need more people to speak out about what is happening” because when sailors ask their superiors for information, they are told not to worry about the latest news and to “just worry about today.”
The woman added that the crew is exhausted, with no days off and barely getting a few hours of sleep. She also recalled that her husband expressed serious concerns about the leadership on board, noting that “he doesn’t care about his people.” She added that even sailors with more than 20 years of experience consider this the worst deployment they have ever experienced.
The situation escalated to such an extreme that several legislators exerted so much pressure that it forced the Navy High Command to send the aircraft carrier George Washington to the region to relieve and replace the Lincoln after its prolonged mission. It’s worth noting that this relief was carried out in the typical American fashion. That is, instead of traveling directly to its base in San Diego, California, the Navy High Command decided that the ship would make a stop in Pattaya, Thailand. This small Thai city of around 300,000 inhabitants, of whom 120,000 are registered, was until 1961 a quiet fishing village, but in April of that year it was virtually occupied by the “glorious” US Navy participating in the Vietnam War, to be used as a large collective brothel for its dedicated sailors and officers. Similarly, Pattaya, where the Lincoln crew arrived last Sunday, September 6, is known for being Asia’s largest gay scene and is full of bars where transsexuals and transvestites perform shows apparently to the liking of the troubled American sailors.
TO BE CONTINUED…