After 7 Months of War.. Hegseth Inspects an Aircraft Carrier

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U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth visited the nuclear aircraft carrier "USS Abraham Lincoln" on Wednesday as it returned from the Middle East after a long involvement in military operations related to the war with Iran, which erupted more than 7 months ago.

According to Agence France-Presse, Hegseth praised the crew of the carrier during his visit to it in the Pacific, affirming that its strike group achieved unprecedented accomplishments during its military deployment.

The carrier had departed California in November 2025 to carry out missions in the South China Sea, before being redirected to the Middle East following the outbreak of war with U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28.

During his meeting with military personnel, Hegseth stated that the carrier's strike group accomplished what no other group had achieved before.

He explained that the carrier and its group carried out about 10,000 sorties and recorded 23,000 combat flight hours, including about 4,000 combat sorties.

He announced the awarding of the Presidential Unit Citation to the combat group, in recognition of what he described as "extraordinary heroism in facing enemy forces."

However, the American praise came amid controversy regarding the conditions faced by the military personnel during the long deployment.

In August, families of military personnel and members of Congress raised concerns about the crew's conditions, following reports of suicide attempts and food shortages aboard the carrier.

U.S. President Donald Trump had rejected those accusations, while Hegseth considered that the media reports presented a misleading picture of the situation.

However, the Trump administration acknowledged, in a letter sent to a lawmaker last month, that there were 8 suicide attempts among the members of the carrier's strike group, confirming that no fatalities were recorded as a result of those attempts.

The administration clarified that food supplies were sufficient, but admitted that the limited resupply operations during the war led to a reduction in main meal options from two choices to one for a short period.

Hegseth criticized the media for addressing those issues, considering that some tried to portray the carrier as a model of dysfunction, calling on Americans to take pride in what its crew has accomplished.

The "Abraham Lincoln" was not the only one facing difficulties during the long deployment.

The aircraft carrier "USS Gerald R. Ford" experienced problems during a mission that lasted 326 days, including a fire that broke out in a laundry room last March, resulting in injuries to two sailors and damage to about 100 beds.

American media also reported significant malfunctions in the toilet system aboard the carrier.

These incidents highlight the human and logistical challenges that accompanied the prolonged U.S. military deployment in the Middle East, despite the Pentagon praising the scale of operations carried out by aircraft carriers during the war.