Archive · 8 Oct 2026
Hegseth Praises Lincoln Crew After Record-Breaking Deployment
The USS Abraham Lincoln is an American aircraft carrier that spent a very long time at sea during the war with Iran.
It went 264 days without stopping at a port, which the Pentagon called a record.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth visited the sailors and thanked them for continuing their work.
He said the ship carried out many combat missions and had no casualties or aircraft accidents.
The Navy said there were eight suicide attempts among sailors in the strike group.
Hegseth also recognized that supplies were difficult to bring aboard.
The ship was expected to return to San Diego on Thursday so its crew could see their families.
The war and its costs are also becoming important issues in US election campaigning.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth visited the USS Abraham Lincoln on Wednesday and praised its sailors after an extended wartime deployment.
The carrier strike group spent 264 continuous days without a port call, a record, and was due to dock in San Diego on Thursday.
The Navy reported eight suicide attempts among sailors in the strike group during its time at sea; Hegseth acknowledged difficult conditions and resupply challenges.
Hegseth said the Lincoln’s operations included 3,693 combat sorties, 450 Tomahawk launches and strikes on Iranian forces, with no US casualties or aircraft mishaps.
The deployment and Iran war come as the conflict’s costs and higher energy prices have become political issues ahead of November’s midterm elections.
- Who
- Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and sailors aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln strike group.
- What
- Hegseth praised the crew after its extended wartime deployment and presented a citation from President Donald Trump for its achievements.
- When
- Wednesday, October 7; the carrier was due to dock Thursday.
- Where
- Aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln; the carrier was due to return to San Diego.
- Why
- To recognize the crew’s service and combat operations during the US-Iran war.
Hegseth’s defense of the deployment
Concerns about the deployment
Length and conditions of the mission
Hegseth’s defense of the deployment
Hegseth praised the sailors’ resilience and said they adapted and completed the mission despite its difficulty.
Concerns about the deployment
The deployment lasted a record 264 days without a port call, included eight reported suicide attempts, and faced scrutiny over low morale, supply shortages and resupply challenges.
Whether the carrier had been deployed too long
Hegseth’s defense of the deployment
Trump said in August that the Lincoln had not been deployed nearly long enough.
Concerns about the deployment
Reports cited in the article described low morale and supply shortages, while the crew’s prolonged time away from port and family drew attention to the strain of the deployment.
- Deployment without port call
- 264 continuous days, described by the Pentagon as a record.
- Return to port
- The Lincoln was due to dock in San Diego on Thursday.
- Suicide attempts
- The Navy reported eight among US sailors in the strike group during its time at sea.
- Combat sorties
- 3,693, according to Hegseth.
- Tomahawk missiles
- 450 land-attack cruise missiles launched, according to Hegseth.
- Reported operational outcomes
- Hegseth said the group sank 64 Iranian warships and destroyed 21 anti-ship cruise missiles.
- Casualties and aircraft mishaps
- Hegseth said there were none.
- War cost
- The report describes the conflict as costing $3 billion per month.