In the wake of escalating conflict in the region, the Pentagon announced on Sept. 29 that the USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) will remain in the Middle East.
The Coronado-based aircraft carrier is a part of the USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group, which also includes Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 9, guided-missile cruiser USS Mobile Bay (CG 53), and the guided-missile destroyers of Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 21.
The Department of Defense is also reinforcing its defensive air-support capabilities and increasing the readiness of additional US forces to deploy, it said in a statement.
Additionally, the USS Wasp Amphibious Ready Group/Marine Expeditionary Unit (ARG/MEU) will continue to operate in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea.
The USS Abraham Lincoln deployed in August, while the USS Wasp deployed from the East Coast in June.
The announcement came after Iran launched 200 missiles into Israel, a response to Israeli attacks in Lebanon that killed a senior Iranian general and a Hezbollah leader.
“(Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin) and DoD leaders remain focused on the protection of U.S. citizens and forces in the region, the defense of Israel, and the de-escalation of the situation through deterrence and diplomacy,” the DoD said in a statement.
