In response to escalating tensions in the Middle East, the USS Abraham Lincoln, a Coronado-based aircraft carrier, has been ordered by the Pentagon to extend its deployment in the region.
As part of a broader effort to defend U.S. forces and Israel, the carrier will continue its operations in the Gulf of Oman, projecting American military power amid heightened instability.
Nearly 200 missiles
The decision, announced by Pentagon Press Secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder on Sept. 29, comes during a volatile period. On Oct. 1, Iran fired about 180 missiles at Israel around the same time Israel launched a ground offensive into Lebanon.
While the majority of the missiles were intercepted by Israeli defense systems, U.S. Navy destroyers, including those accompanying the Lincoln, launched interceptors at the incoming ballistic missiles, according to BBC News.
Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said the U.S. remains committed to preventing Iran and its proxies from exploiting the situation, via the Department of Defense’s (DOD) press release.
Austin said the U.S. would take all necessary measures to defend American personnel and interests, elevating military readiness and positioning key assets to deter further escalation.
Iranian officials, including President Masoud Pezeshkian, defended the missile strikes as a decisive response to Israeli operations, which included the killing of top Iranian and Hezbollah leaders.
“The Abe”
The USS Abraham Lincoln, known among its crew as “The Abe,” is not new to the complexities of Middle Eastern conflict.
With a history of combat missions, including during Operations Iraqi Freedom and Southern Watch, the ship is once again at the forefront of U.S. military efforts in the region.
It departed San Diego on July 11, serving as the flagship for a carrier strike group that includes the USS O’Kane, a destroyer armed with Tomahawk cruise missiles.
Aboard the Lincoln and O’Kane are around 6,500 personnel.
Among the ship’s assets is the F-35C strike aircraft, stationed out of the Marine Corps Air Station Miramar. Additionally, the carrier is supported by two helicopter squadrons from Naval Air Station North Island.
In coordination with the extended presence of the Lincoln, the DOD is reinforcing its military posture across the region.
As the USS Harry S. Truman carrier strike group makes its way to the Middle East to join the Lincoln, the USS Theodore Roosevelt, after extended deployment, is en route back to North Island and is expected to arrive in the bay later this month.
