The aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln and its strike group are now operating in the Middle Eastern waters of U.S. Central Command as the Pentagon aims to strengthen its presence amid heightened tensions in the region.
Escalations stem from the recent killings of top leaders of Iran-backed militant groups Hamas and Hezbollah in suspected Israeli strikes, while U.S. forces experience continued attacks in Iraq and Syria that U.S. leaders attribute to militias supported by Iran.
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As a result, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Aug. 11 instructed the Abraham Lincoln, then operating in the Indo-Pacific en route to the Middle East, to expedite its arrival to the region.
Austin also ordered the guided-missile submarine Georgia to the CENTCOM region. Pentagon Press Secretary Air Force Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder told reporters Tuesday the submarine would arrive there “soon.”
The Abraham Lincoln is outfitted with F-35C and F/A-18 Super Hornet fighter jets and will replace the aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt that started operating in the Middle East in July.
The U.S. enhanced its presence in the Middle East after Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel and Israel’s subsequent retaliatory strikes in Gaza. Naval assets sent to the region in October included the aircraft carrier Dwight D. Eisenhower, marking the first time a U.S. aircraft carrier sailed in Middle Eastern waters since the end of the Afghanistan war in 2021.
The carrier, along with its accompanying destroyers Gravely and Mason and cruiser Philippine Sea, fended off routine attacks of Iran-backed Houthi drones and missiles targeting civilian commercial vessels in the Red Sea. The Eisenhower returned to Naval Station Norfolk in July, concluding a total of 275 days underway.
Meanwhile, Ryder declined Tuesday to provide specifics regarding how long he expects an enhanced presence of roughly 40,000 U.S. troops — up from 32,000 troops — will remain in the Middle East.
“We’ve had a significant force presence in the Middle East for a very long time. … I don’t foresee that changing anytime soon,” Ryder said.
Ryder also said 11 U.S. personnel were treated for traumatic brain injury and smoke inhalation following an attack Aug. 9 at the Rumalyn Landing Zone American base in Syria. Ryder previously told reporters eight troops experienced injuries after that attack.
“We’re not going to tolerate attacks on our forces, and we will always respond appropriately in a timely manner of our choosing,” Ryder said.
