Hegseth visits carrier returning from Iran war deployment

• Hegseth awarded the strike group the Presidential Unit Citation for conducting 10,000 sorties and nearly 4,000 combat missions.
• Officials confirmed eight non-fatal suicide attempts and temporary food choices reduction, while Hegseth criticized media coverage of conditions.

US War Secretary Pete Hegseth inspected the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln on Wednesday in the Pacific as it returned from a deployment in the Middle East, where war has continued for over seven months.

The carrier originally departed California in November 2025 for missions in the South China Sea before being redirected to the Middle East, where the conflict began with joint US-'Israeli' strikes on Iran on February 28.

Addressing service members aboard the vessel, Hegseth lauded the unit's operational record:

"What the Lincoln Carrier Strike Group accomplished, no other strike group has accomplished before."

He stated that the strike group conducted 10,000 sorties, logged 23,000 combat flight hours, and completed nearly 4,000 combat sorties, before announcing that the group was awarded the Presidential Unit Citation for "extraordinary heroism in action against enemy forces."

Pentagon responds to reports on shipboard conditions

The extended deployment created significant strain on crew members aboard the carrier and its strike group.

In August, military families and lawmakers raised concerns over reported suicide attempts and food shortages aboard the ship.

While US President Donald Trump rejected the claims at the time, Hegseth maintained during his visit that the situation had been "misrepresented" in public reports.

Hegseth criticized media coverage, stating that certain outlets attempted to turn the USS Abraham Lincoln into a "symbol of dysfunction" and urged the American public and media to take pride in the service members' achievements.

In a letter sent to a lawmaker last month, the Trump administration acknowledged eight suicide attempts among service members within the carrier strike group, emphasizing that none resulted in loss of life.

The letter noted that while food supplies remained "sufficient," limited resupply operations during wartime required reducing main meal selections from two options to one for a short period.

Separately, another deployed carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford, faced operational challenges during a 326-day mission.

According to the US military, a laundry room fire broke out aboard the ship in March, injuring two sailors and causing extensive damage to nearly 100 berths, alongside media reports referencing significant issues with the vessel's sanitation system.