Hegseth announces award for USS Abraham Lincoln group — Anadolu Agency
In the United States, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced that the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group will receive the Presidential Unit Citation, one of the country’s highest collective military awards. He informed the crew of this as the aircraft carrier was heading to San Diego after an extended mission in the Middle East, Anadolu Agency reports.
Mission figures
Hegseth called the group’s deployment historic and said that no other carrier strike group had carried out a similar mission. According to him, during the deployment, the group conducted 10,000 sorties, logged 23,000 combat flight hours, and carried out nearly 4,000 combat sorties.
The secretary also said that 1.5 million pounds of munitions were used against enemy targets. According to him, President Donald Trump asked him to personally thank the sailors and other personnel, including for their role in Operation Epic Fury, aimed at preventing Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons.
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The deployment was extended twice
According to Hegseth, the crew spent 265 consecutive days without a port call. He noted that the deployment was extended twice after the military had expected to return home.
Hegseth also praised the group’s role in the continuing blockade, which he called impenetrable from the first day. He said that the carrier strike group played a central role in the US administration’s efforts to ensure that Iran does not obtain nuclear weapons.
