US Defense Secretary Inspects Aircraft Carrier 'Lincoln' After Completing 'Historic Mission' in Middle East

U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth praised the crew of the U.S. aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln during his inspection of the vessel upon its return from the Middle East. The nuclear-powered carrier had departed California in November 2025 to participate in operations in the South China Sea before being redirected to the Middle East, where it took part in U.S. strikes on Iran on February 28. Speaking to the troops aboard the Abraham Lincoln in the Pacific Ocean, Hegseth said, “What the Lincoln Carrier Strike Group has accomplished has never been achieved by any other group before.” Addressing the crew, he added, “It is an honor for me to be with you today as you return from what can be described as a historic mission.” He noted that the group “flew 10,000 sorties, logged 23,000 combat flight hours, and conducted approximately 4,000 combat sorties,” before announcing the award of the Presidential Unit Citation to the group in recognition of its “extraordinary heroism in the face of enemy forces.”

For its part, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) announced that the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln arrived yesterday at its homeport in California, following the completion of its historic mission in the Middle East. The command stated that more than 5,000 sailors and Marines participated in supporting thousands of combat air sorties and traveled more than 90,000 nautical miles.

In a related development, CENTCOM reported that Chief Petty Officer Carlos A. Ruiz, the senior enlisted advisor for the Marine Corps, was briefed this week directly on how CENTCOM is providing deployed forces in the Middle East with highly advanced unmanned aerial system capabilities. CENTCOM added that Marine Corps personnel provided Ruiz with a briefing on CENTCOM’s unprecedented use of low-cost, single-use attack unmanned aerial systems.

In the same context, CENTCOM denied day-before-yesterday claims by a general in the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, reported in media outlets, that the “Strait of Hormuz is closed” and that Iran has established “complete control” over it. CENTCOM affirmed that navigation through the Strait of Hormuz is currently ongoing, with commercial cargo and energy supplies, including 20 million barrels of crude oil, being transported. The United States and its regional partners clearly maintain control over the strait.