US and Iran: Crisis with soldiers and data leaks

The commander of the US Central Command (CENTCOM), Admiral Brad Cooper, concluded his 10-day tour of the Middle East with an urgent visit to the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln in the Arabian Sea.

This was officially announced by the CENTCOM press service on the social network X (x.com). The visit of the top US military officer coincided with the growth of two huge scandals: serious accusations of critically low morale and deteriorating humanitarian conditions among the ship's crew, as well as a shocking investigation by the British media outlet Sky News (https://news.sky.com) that Iran is using data from the Strava fitness app to locate US military bases and direct its missile strikes.

Mutiny on the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln?

The aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln has been on a combat mission in the region for over 250 days without a single port call - a historic record for the US Navy in the modern era, set due to the ongoing war with Iran and the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. According to the European publication “Evropeyskaya Pravda“ (https://www.eurointegration.com.ua) and a number of American media outlets, including Navy Times, the conditions on board are catastrophic.

The sailors complain anonymously about:

Persistent shortage of fresh food products Lack of basic personal hygiene items Plumbing problems and broken toilets Mold under the showers and no hot water for weeks

The situation is complicated by a severe mental crisis among the more than 5,000-member crew. Cases of suicide attempts have been documented. CENTCOM was forced to officially deny information in Iranian media about seven American servicemen killed in a massive fight on board, but admitted that on August 3, 2026, a sailor jumped or fell overboard and was rescued with his last breath. President Donald Trump's administration is under intense pressure from Democratic senators who are demanding that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth provide an immediate explanation for the logistical collapse caused by Iranian strikes on US bases in Bahrain.

Fitness app Strava exposes secret US bases

Along with the internal degradation of the force, the Pentagon has faced a huge security breach. Sky News' (https://news.sky.com) digital forensics team has revealed that more than 1,300 US soldiers and contractors in the Middle East have been publicly sharing their workouts via the Strava app. It turned out that the published running routes literally draw the inner perimeter and schedules of top-secret American facilities that do not even appear on official maps.

The journalistic investigation directly links the data leak to successful Iranian attacks:

The case in Bahrain: An American Navy subcontractor published his routes around the base in Manama, and after his evacuation - around the Crowne Plaza hotel. Exactly 6 days later, Iran launched a precision missile strike on the same hotel, injuring two Pentagon personnel. The strike in Jordan: In the airbase “Muwafal al-Salti“ Over 76% of Strava workouts shared during the ceasefire began or ended in front of specific barracks on the eastern edge. On July 17, 2026, Iran fired missiles at these very buildings, killing three American soldiers.

Although the US Department of Defense banned the use of geolocation on personal devices in conflict zones back in 2018, the lack of strict control and “digital hygiene“ among personnel has led to tragic consequences. Admiral Cooper personally warned soldiers that Tehran is analyzing every photo, video and digital fingerprint of theirs to correct its attacks, and a complete confiscation of mobile phones in war zones is currently being considered.