Bloomberg Surveillance · Thursday, August 13, 2026
Former US Army Major Harrison Mann stated that the US military is strained by prolonged deployments, citing reports of hardship on the USS Abraham Lincoln. He criticized the current strategy regarding Iran, suggesting it is not sustainable and that continuing the current approach risks further straining US forces and lives.
“The story about the Lincoln is another reminder that at least when it comes to Iran, the US cannot fight a war on the cheap. We cannot fight a war and ignore the consequences, which is what we'd like to do as a country, or at least as a political class for the last twenty odd years of the War on Terror.”
“I think this problem, and the straight up formulation in general, is the problem that Trump just wishes would disappear. But the fact that we are straining our military, including you know, this carrier and its crew, is another sign that basically the status quo is not sustainable, even if Trump says he wants to low key it and basically wait for Iran to collapse from pressure.”
“I would say, in my view, nothing in the straight of four moves, nothing in Iran is worth the death or maiming of one more US service member. And that's really the binary look at it.”