The long-deployed USS Lincoln is returning home to San Diego
The USS Abraham Lincoln has returned to San Diego following a record-breaking 265-day deployment in the Middle East during the Iran conflict. Despite reports of crew fatigue and supply shortages, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth praised the crew's resilience and mission success.
Why it matters
The deployment highlights the operational strain on U.S. naval forces and the political narrative surrounding military readiness and morale.
The USS Abraham Lincoln is returning home to San Diego Thursday after supporting the Iran war during a record long deployment of 265 uninterrupted days at sea that included reports of deteriorating conditions among its crew.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth flew out to the carrier on Wednesday to give the crew the Presidential Unit Citation, the highest honor a unit can receive that is typically reserved for significant achievement in combat.
Hegseth pushed back against what he said were efforts to turn the "Lincoln into some sort of a symbol, a symbol of dysfunction or a symbol of low morale or a symbol of a failed mission."
He said that "what makes the U.S. military and the U.S. Navy and all these sailors different is that you adapt and that you're resilient and you overcome — you finish the mission nonetheless."
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