Hegseth awards USS Lincoln carrier group Presidential Unit Citation for leading US war against Iran

War Secretary Pete Hegseth announced on Wednesday that the sailors and Marines aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier Group will receive the Presidential Unit Citation.Hegseth traveled to San Diego to welcome home those sailors and Marines who were deployed for more than 300 consecutive days overseas and led the military’s actions in the Iran war. The sailors and Marines are expected to arrive at Naval Station San Diego on Thursday.“If I may, I’m going to read it because you deserve to hear it firsthand. Because the United States takes pleasure in presenting the Presidential Unit Citation, USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group, Carrier Strike Group Three, for service as set forth in the following citation for extraordinary heroism against enemy forces from 28 February 2026 through 22 August 2026,” he said. Hegseth said the carrier strike group executed 3,693 combat sorties, dropped 1.37 million pounds of ordnance, launched 450 Tomahawk land attack cruise missiles, shot down 77 one-way attack drones, sank 64 Iranian naval vessels, destroyed 21 anti-ship cruise missiles, and defended against four fast attack craft and dhows carrying explosives. He also acknowledged that their skill at the beginning of the war prompted him to extend their deployment twice.The ship left Naval Station San Diego on Nov. 21, 2025, and will return on Thursday, 321 days later. It will end up as the second-longest Navy deployment in the post-Vietnam era, falling less than a week shy of the current record holder, the USS Gerald Ford Carrier Strike Group, which was deployed for 326 days and returned home earlier this year. Hegseth also greeted them upon their return home in May and awarded them the Presidential Unit Citation.An E-2D Hawkeye, assigned to Airborne Command & Control Squadron (VAW) 117, prepares to launch from the flight deck of Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72), Oct. 1, 2026. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Angel Campbell) Concerning conditions aboard the Lincoln during the deployment earned media attention and criticism. While Pentagon officials acknowledged the inherent difficulties that come with combat deployments, they also downplayed media reports about the living conditions.Hegseth brought up the media coverage during his 15-minute address on the Lincoln.“There were a few folks in the media who tried to turn the USS Abraham Lincoln into some sort of a symbol of dysfunction, or a symbol of low morale, or a symbol of a failed mission, and what I look out at right here, and when I talk to your leadership, and I have had a chance to talk to a number of you, I know it’s the exact opposite, which is actually what the media does so often,” he said. “They see success, and they see excellence, and they see difficulty and challenge that needs to be overcome.”Acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao acknowledged last month that eight people on board unsuccessfully attempted to commit suicide.NEW HEGSETH COUNTER-DRONE HOMELAND SECURITY MEMO SAYS ‘ACCEPT PRUDENT RISKS’ BUT DON’T ‘CUT CORNERS’Senior Navy officials, including Cao, met with the families of sailors and Marines deployed on the Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group in August to hear their concerns.The USS George H.W. Bush and USS George Washington carrier strike groups are currently in the Middle East, while the USS Theodore Roosevelt departed its homeport of San Diego last week for the Pacific, though reports indicate it could head to the Middle East. If it does head to the Middle East, it’s unclear if it would be to add firepower or replace one of the two carriers currently there.