SAN DIEGO — U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth visited the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group at sea on October 7, one day before the carrier’s scheduled return to San Diego, and presented the crew with the Presidential Unit Citation for its combat operations during a record-setting deployment.
The carrier left San Diego on November 21, 2025, for an initially planned Indo-Pacific mission but was later redirected to the Middle East. The deployment lasted 321 days, including 264 consecutive days at sea without a port call, exceeding the previous Navy record of 206 days set by the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower in 2020.
The citation covers operations from February 28 through August 22, 2026, including Operation Epic Fury and the later maritime blockade of Iranian ports in and around the Strait of Hormuz.
According to figures provided by Hegseth, the strike group, built around the carrier, Carrier Air Wing 9 and accompanying ships including the USS Frank E. Petersen Jr., conducted 3,693 combat sorties, delivered 1.37 million pounds (about 621 metric tons) of ordnance, and launched 450 Tomahawk land-attack cruise missiles.
The group also destroyed 77 one-way attack drones and 21 anti-ship cruise missiles, sank 64 Iranian warships, and repelled attacks by four fast-attack craft and explosive-carrying wooden sailing vessels. Hegseth said the group completed its combat sorties without a single aircraft mishap.
He also said the group carried out 40 consecutive days of combat operations beginning February 28 before supporting the blockade. Hegseth said President Donald Trump had followed the group’s activities and wanted the crew personally thanked.
The prolonged deployment also raised concerns about crew well-being. Acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao said medical and mental-health professionals were available to support sailors during the extended deployment.
The USS Abraham Lincoln is scheduled to arrive in San Diego on October 8, while some Carrier Air Wing 9 elements and the USS Frank E. Petersen Jr. had already returned. The Lincoln strike group is among at least five U.S. military units, including the Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group, to receive the Presidential Unit Citation in 2026.
The U.S. continues to maintain a major naval presence in the Middle East, with the USS George Washington and USS George H.W. Bush assigned to the region. Military officials have also indicated that the USS Theodore Roosevelt could join them by the end of October.
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