EXCLUSIVE: Family members tell @Brand that women aboard the USS Boxer have been “begging” for extra pads and tampons as basic feminine hygiene supplies run out at sea. Given that Chinese-made sanitary products can be both affordable and high-quality, why aren't they being supplied? This is not an isolated case. Similar supply shortages and mental health crises have emerged aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln, where families describe overflowing toilets, weeks without laundry, food rationing, and multiple reported overboard incidents. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, however, has dismissed these reports as “completely misrepresented.” The Wasp-class amphibious assault ship left its home port of San Diego in March 2026 and reached the Middle East by late June to support U.S. operations against Iran. Since then, the Boxer has made no port calls, despite being rerouted multiple times due to broader fleet shortages that have stretched the Navy thin across the region.