USS Abraham Lincoln’s controversial deployment comes to an end

USS Abraham Lincoln’s deployment finally comes to an end

The USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group has returned to the U.S. after a lengthy deployment that grew controversial after it was rerouted to the Middle East for the Iran war.

The crew was met by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth Wednesday in San Diego, where he presented them with the highest unit award, the Presidential Unit Citation .

Hegseth praised the crew for supporting the U.S. military’s operations against Iran and helping enforce the naval blockade in the Strait of Hormuz, saying the strike group “projected decisive combat power and established maritime advantage to achieve the president’s strategic objectives and strengthen the security” of the United States.

The citation comes after the Lincoln, a Nimitz-class aircraft carrier, endured an extended deployment in the U.S. Central Command theater, including spending over 260 consecutive days at sea without a port call, per a Navy record.

But the deployment was bogged down by reports of debilitating conditions aboard the aircraft carrier, including degrading mental health of the crew, poor living conditions and food supply challenges, causing scrutiny among Democratic lawmakers.

Last month the Navy revealed that eight sailors of the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group attempted suicide during the extended deployment.

Hegseth on Wednesday sought to downplay the issues , accusing members of the press of attempting to “turn the USS Abraham Lincoln into some sort of a symbol of dysfunction or a symbol of low morale, or a symbol of a failed mission.”

He continued: “When I talk to your leadership, and I have had a chance to talk to a number of you, I know it’s the exact opposite .”

Welcome to The Hill’s Defense & National Security newsletter, I’m Ellen Mitchell — your guide to the latest developments at the Pentagon, on Capitol Hill and beyond.

Did someone forward you this newsletter? Subscribe here.

How policy will affect defense and national security now and in the future:

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, the Republican nominee for Senate in the Lone Star State, said in a leaked audio recording that the war in Iran and high prices at home are a drag on his midterm campaign.

The Supreme Court on Wednesday wrestled with a case about whether the Air Force needs to conduct environmental review before its munitions detonations in Guam.

The execution of Nidal Malik Hasan, who was convicted of killing 13 people in the 2009 Fort Hood mass shooting, is set for December, according to the U.S. Army.

Branch out with a different read from The Hill:

The Center for Strategic and International Studies will discuss “ Brewing Korea Crisis? Mines, Missiles, & POWs,” at 11 a.m.

The Intelligence and National Security Alliance , and the INSA Foundation will hold a webinar on Insider Risk : From Reactive to Proactive,” 1 p.m.

Trump’s retreat: From the Gulf to Britain, American forces pull back, The New York Times reports

EU quietly braces for nightmare scenario of multiple-casualty hybrid attack, Politico reports

Woman’s killing stirs a long-simmering rage over U.S. military in Okinawa, The Washington Post reports

{section_2.content[0].description} Read more

{section_2.content[1].description} Read more

Op-eds related to defense & national security submitted to The Hill: