The top US military commander in the Middle East visited the USS Lincoln in the Arabian Sea during a 10-day tour in the region that concluded on Saturday, US Central Command said.
Adm. Brad Cooper visited the USS Lincoln in the Arabian Sea as reports have emerged of mental health and supply issues aboard the long-deployed aircraft carrier.
The Lincoln arrived in the Middle East in January and has been supporting the US war against Iran, including the blockade on Iranian ports. Its deployment has included a record-setting uninterrupted time at sea of more than 240 days.
“History will record this deployment as one of the most operationally intense and consequential of the modern era,” Cooper said of the Lincoln strike group in a statement released Saturday.
Extended deployments of carriers – which can have more than 5,000 sailors and Marines on board – have raised concerns about the impact not only on the ships but on service members.
In a statement Sunday, Cooper praised the leadership on the carrier for making mental health and resilience a priority. He described his visit to the ship as "awe-inspiring" and hailed the crew's "resilience"
Cooper also went to Bahrain, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE to meet with civilian and military leaders, according to the Central Command statement.
The US Navy’s blockade was in response to Iran’s asserting control over the Strait of Hormuz after the war started on Feb. 28 with US and Israeli strikes.
About one-fifth of the world’s traded oil and natural gas passed through the waterway at the mouth of the Arabian Gulf before then.
Talks between the US and Iran have stalled while Iran is in discussions with Oman about how to manage the strait that runs between them and had been considered an international waterway.
