From Lincoln to Washington
The USS Washington is en route to the Middle East for the purpose of relieving the USS Lincoln, according to reports. The USS Lincoln has been deployed in support of the U.S./Iran war since November 2025, and recent reports suggest the crew has faced mounting challenges including food shortages and mental health crises. The U.S. Department of War acknowledges supply challenges arising from the extended deployment, which was originally scheduled to end in May, but denies an abnormal sailor morale challenge.
The situation has been further complicated by the volatile peace negotiations between the U.S. and Iran, and the deployment of the USS Washington to the region is seen by many as a sign the U.S. presence in the region is unlikely to be drawn down in the near term.
Analysis and eternal perspective: The ever-changing dynamic in the Middle East (explored more in depth in a subsequent story) is one we as The Equipped family are prepared for and have been regularly anticipating. While ceasefire negotiations and various peace deal frameworks have come and gone, we have together acknowledged the reality that true peace has never been particularly close at hand. This is the opposite of acquiescing to gloom, and instead a clear-eyed acknowledgement of reality in order to apply the steady mind of Christ to a fallen world.
This story digs a layer down into the real-world impact of war on those called to carry it out. The sailors and marines aboard the USS Lincoln (and the USS Washington) are not responsible for macro wartime decisions or peace negotiations. They are, however, tasked with carrying out those decisions, and they experience firsthand the first-order ramifications of them. Therefore, the first takeaway for you and me should be a heartfelt appreciation for their sacrifice, and a spirit inclined to look for ways to support them. For many of us, that means identifying families in our communities who have a loved one deployed. How can you provide both material and relational support to them during this very trying time?
Next, as we pray for these troops and their families, let us live in the light of John 15:12-13: “My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” A decision to serve and be subject to a deployment like this one is a decision to put another’s life ahead of your own. It is an act of great love, and it is one way to emulate the love of Jesus. As we lift up in prayer those who are serving, let us also look for ways that we too can model the sacrificial love of Jesus!