USS Abraham Lincoln Returns to San Diego After 10-Month Combat Deployment

Oct. 9, 2026 | By Navy Chief Petty Officer Joseph Montemarano, USS Abraham Lincoln, Pentagon News |

The aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln departed its home port Nov. 21, 2025. In the 321 days since casting off lines from San Diego, the ship and its crew sailed across the Pacific Ocean, through the San Bernardino Strait, Surigao Strait and Strait of Malacca, and into the South China Sea, Indian Ocean and Arabian Sea.

The ship steamed more than 93,000 nautical miles, conducted 72 replenishments-at-sea and received more than 20.5 million gallons of aviation fuel during the operations. The Lincoln's crew also supported more than 13,000 aviation sorties from Carrier Air Wing 9 aircraft, totaling 28,500 flight hours.

"[The] USS Abraham Lincoln and the entire carrier strike group team set a new standard of excellence through their extraordinary conduct during this historic deployment," said Navy Rear Adm. Robert Loughran, Carrier Strike Group 3 commander. "I am incredibly proud of each and every sailor, Marine and member of this team for what they have accomplished under the most demanding conditions. Their professionalism, resilience and combat effectiveness have been unmatched. We now look forward with great excitement to their well-earned reunion with family and loved ones."

After arriving in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility in late January, the carrier and its strike group, Carrier Strike Group 3, spearheaded the Navy's involvement in Operation Epic Fury, taking the lead role on the southern Iranian coast as Commander, Task Force 50. 

The strike group, with the Lincoln at its center, supported 40 days of major combat operations, involving nearly 4,000 combat sorties from the air wing. Task force units destroyed more than 100 Iranian drone, missile and small boat attacks against the force, with the wing delivering more than 1.5 million pounds of ordnance on thousands of targets in support of operational objectives. This concentrated firepower significantly degraded Iranian navy capabilities.

Following the April 8 ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran, the strike group shifted gears, leveraging its skill and expertise toward enforcing a maritime blockade. The strike group's ironclad blockade against Iranian-flagged vessels in the northern Arabian Sea and Gulf of Oman denied the flow of Iranian oil and material, ensuring U.S. leaders could engage in diplomatic negotiations from a position of strength.

"Conducting major combat operations, enforcing two naval blockades, and demonstrating our presence and power projection capabilities in multiple numbered fleets, all while keeping an unprecedented operational tempo for a long period of time, is truly remarkable, and demonstrates the strength and resilience of the 5,000 sailors and Marines across this strike group," said Navy Capt. Dan Keeler, USS Abraham Lincoln commanding officer. "This team is literally rewriting the book of what an aircraft carrier is capable of, and it has been awe-inspiring to watch them grow as a team through this historic deployment."

In response to Iran's attacks on commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz in July, the Lincoln and air wing supported strikes against Iran's coastal defense systems, cruise missile storage and launch sites. The strike group then bolstered the second naval blockade of Iranian shipping and ports until departing the Centcom area of responsibility, Aug. 22, to begin its return transit home.

The Lincoln completed brief, overnight stops for supplies in Guam in December 2025 and just last month, as well as in Duqm, Oman, in July. The ship also conducted a port call in Pattaya, Thailand, last month. The ship's 208 uninterrupted days at sea between Guam and Oman, and its 286 consecutive days at sea between departing San Diego and arriving in Thailand, are record-breaking marks for modern aircraft carriers.

"I could not be prouder of the group of sailors and Marines aboard this mighty warship for everything they have accomplished the last 10 1/2 months," Keeler said. "We asked a lot of these warfighters, and every time, they rose to the occasion, achieving the mission with pride, professionalism and expertise."

USS Lincoln Leadership Sets Record Straight on Quality-of-Life Concerns

Oct. 8, 2026 | By Matthew Olay, Pentagon News |

The commanding officer of the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln addressed concerns about quality-of-life issues for the crew during the ship's record-setting, 322-day deployment while speaking at a press conference today, shortly after the ship arrived at Naval Air Station North Island, California.

When asked about alleged complaints concerning a lack of food, potable water and functioning plumbing aboard the Lincoln that were amplified by the media this past summer, Navy Capt. Daniel Keeler said the closest the crew came to such conditions actually occurred earlier in the spring, when the ship's strike group was conducting active combat operations off the coast of Iran in support of Operation Epic Fury. 

"Almost all of those things occurred, I would say, in March — March and April — while we were engaged in active combat operations against a very determined foe. At the time, we did — I think — a very good job explaining to the crew why we were going to be maybe running a little bit thin on some supplies for a while," Keeler said, adding that, despite combat conditions making logistics more complicated, the Lincoln absolutely had enough food on board. 

"I had all the supplies I needed to conduct combat," he said. "We never missed a mission. … We served four meals a day: 14,000 to 16,000 a day to the entire crew." 

Regarding the ship's plumbing, Keeler said disruptions of service are just part of life on a multibillion-dollar aircraft carrier. 

"It's a big, floating city; you can see how large it is. At any one moment, there might be a clogged toilet. It happens," Keeler said. 

He added that the ship is stocked with a number of trained sailors who can fix such inconveniences, and that when things were broken, they were repaired.  

"And I would say, in my experience, everything that we went through is in the normal spectrum of what you might expect and see on an aircraft carrier, and it's even more remarkable because that was in combat," Keeler said.

When asked about what lessons were learned regarding the logistics of resupplying a carrier strike group during a time of combat, Navy Rear Adm. Robert E. Loughran — the Carrier Strike Group 3 commander, which the Lincoln belongs to — said that Operation Epic Fury helped the Navy learn about delivering supplies directly to deployed forces in regions like the Middle East, rather than ordering supplies to individual ships "as needed." 

"I'll tell you that what was impressive about this, was that we pivoted when we kicked off combat to a much more extended supply chain, and not only were we extending our supply lines, but we were increasing rapidly the number of forces in theater — and every single ship that was deployed over there met mission while we were continuing to adjust our game plan for how we provide logistics," he explained. 

The Lincoln's return home, after leaving Nov. 21, 2025, came one day after Secretary of War Pete Hegseth flew aboard the ship to thank the carrier and its entire strike group for all of the successful — though taxing — operations it executed in support of Operation Epic Fury.  

"I draw inspiration from the mission that you executed so successfully. You have changed the arc of history: ensuring that crazy people — theocrats — never get a nuclear weapon," he said. "And it's because of what this strike group has done, and [what] other great Americans are still doing now."

Maine Air National Guard Surges Support for Operation Epic Fury

 June 5, 2026 | By Air Force Senior Master Sgt. Andrew Sinclair, 101st Air Refueling Wing |

Air Transportation Function airmen assigned to the Maine Air National Guard's 101st Air Refueling Wing helped move more than 747,000 pounds of cargo and 312 passengers since the start of Operation Epic Fury.  

The effort helps keep vital supplies flowing to the U.S. Central Command area of operations. 

Since the operation began, the wing's distribution team has handled 302 pieces of cargo, including loose items, shipping containers, baggage pallets, hazardous explosives, weapons systems awaiting parts and miscellaneous aircraft parts. The team supported 97 missions made up of 15 C-17 Globemaster III aircraft, four KC-46 Pegasus aircraft, 76 KC-135 Stratotankers, two C-130J Super Hercules aircraft and one C-5 Galaxy, while also managing 67,472 pounds of passenger weight. 

The team received 70 inbound nonmilitary shipments from vendors, Air Mobility Command and other organizations headed for the Centcom area of responsibility. Outbound, they packed, marked, labeled and processed 394 shipments under the military standard requisitioning and issue procedure — weighing about 5,000 pounds. 

To keep up with the faster pace, distribution members from five different units, plus one civil engineering airman, joined the wing. These augmentees brought valuable experience in cargo and passenger operations. Among them was Air Force Staff Sgt. Eric LeFave, an air terminal operations center information controller assigned to Pease Air National Guard Base in New Hampshire. 

"So far, my job here has been assisting in the forward movement of mostly critical cargo and [mission impaired capability awaiting parts] to support my fellow wingmen and broken aircraft downrange," LeFave said. 

The work has special meaning for LeFave, who returned from overseas in October. 

"I know who's currently out in the Middle East and helped get them spun up before I left," he said. "Being able to come up here to Maine and help get them anything they need is important to me. This is the job, and this is what I signed up for. I give this career my best because that's what the Air Force needs at all times."

Air Force Chief Master Sgt. Grady Thurlow borrowed three additional pieces of material handling equipment from partner units to keep cargo moving smoothly. Ground transportation crew members also borrowed an extra bus from a geographically separated unit in South Portland. 

"The true measure of this team was tested during the heightened operational tempo," said Air Force Capt. Alyssa Nelson, a distribution officer assigned to the wing. "The willingness of other units to integrate into our operations reflects the highest standard of teamwork. The collaborative effort not only builds professional relationships but is vital to mission success."

DoW Identifies Air Force Casualties

March 14, 2026 |

The Department of War announced the death of six Air Force Airmen who were supporting Operation Epic Fury.

Maj. John A. Klinner, 33, of Auburn, Ala.; Capt. Ariana G. Savino, 31, of Covington, Wash.; and Tech. Sgt. Ashley B. Pruitt, 34, of Bardstown, Ky., were assigned to the 6th Air Refueling Wing, MacDill Air Force Base, Fla. and Capt. Seth R. Koval, 38, of Mooresville, Ind.; Capt. Curtis J. Angst, 30, of Wilmington, Ohio; and Tech. Sgt. Tyler H. Simmons, 28, of Columbus, Ohio were assigned to the 121st Air Refueling Wing at Rickenbacker Air National Guard Base, Columbus, Ohio.

The six Airmen died on March 12, 2026, in the crash of a KC-135 in western Iraq. The incident is under investigation.

For information regarding Maj. John A. Klinner, Capt. Ariana G. Savino, and Tech. Sgt. Ashley B. Pruitt, members of the media may contact the 6th Air Refueling Wing, Public Affairs, at MacDill Air Force Base, Fla., at (813) 828-2217 or by email at 6.ARW.PA@us.af.mil.

For information regarding Capt. Seth R. Koval, Capt. Curtis J. Angst and Tech. Sgt. Tyler H. Simmons, members of the media may contact the Ohio Air National Guard Public Affairs office at (614) 506-3490 or by email at heidi.m.griesmer.nfg@army.mil or ng.oh.oharng.mbx.pao@army.mil.

DoW Identifies Army Casualty

March 11, 2026 |

The Department of War confirmed the death of an Army Reserve Soldier who was supporting Operation Epic Fury.

Chief Warrant Officer 3 Robert M. Marzan, 54, of Sacramento, Calif., previously listed as believed to be deceased, has been positively identified by the medical examiner. Chief Warrant Officer 3 Marzan was killed in action during an unmanned aircraft system attack on March 1, 2026, in Port Shuaiba, Kuwait. The incident is under investigation.

The Soldier was assigned to the 103rd Sustainment Command, Des Moines, Iowa.

For more information regarding Chief Warrant Officer 3 Marzan, members of the media may contact U.S. Army Reserve Command Public Affairs Office, Fort Bragg, N.C., at usarmy.usarc.usarc-hq.mbx.press-desk@army.mil.

DoW Identifies Army Casualty

March 9, 2026 |

The Department of War announced the death of a Soldier who was supporting Operation Epic Fury.
 
Sgt. Benjamin N. Pennington, 26, of Glendale, Ky., died of his wounds on March 8, 2026, from injuries sustained during an enemy attack on March 1, 2026, at Prince Sultan Air Base, Saudi Arabia. The Soldier was assigned to 1st Space Battalion, 1st Space Brigade, Fort Carson, Colo. The incident is under investigation.
 
For more information regarding Sgt. Benjamin Pennington, members of the media may contact the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command Public Affairs Office, Redstone Arsenal, Ala., at usarmy.redstone.smdc.mbx.public-affairs@army.mil.