TAMPA, Fla. – The commander of U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) visited USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72), Feb. 7, as it transited the Arabian Sea during a scheduled deployment.
Adm. Brad Cooper visited crew members aboard the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier with U.S. Special Envoy for Peace Missions Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. Cooper expressed his gratitude for their service.
“I join the American people in expressing our incredible pride in the Sailors and Marines of the Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group,” said Cooper. “Their dedication to the mission and professionalism are on full display here in the Middle East as they demonstrate U.S. military readiness and strength.”
Based in San Diego, Abraham Lincoln departed for deployment in November and operated in the Indo-Pacific region before arriving in the Middle East in January.
The Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group consists of aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln; the embarked staffs of Carrier Strike Group (CSG) 3, Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 21, and Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 9; guided-missile destroyers USS Frank E. Petersen Jr. (DDG 121), USS Spruance (DDG 111) and USS Michael Murphy (DDG 112); and more than 60 fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft.
The strike group is operating in the CENTCOM area of responsibility to support maritime security and stability in the region.