Hegseth Honors USS Abraham Lincoln Strike Group With Presidential Unit Citation Ahead of Homecoming

The visit and the homecoming

“To the Lincoln — it’s an absolute honor to be with you today as you return home from what can only be described as a historic mission,” Hegseth told the crew, according to the Department of War.

The Lincoln pulled into its berth at Naval Air Station North Island on Thursday afternoon, ending a 321-day deployment that began Nov. 21, 2025. Sailors manned the rails in dress whites as thousands of loved ones gathered to welcome them.

The citation

The citation, which Hegseth read to the crew, honors Carrier Strike Group 3 for “extraordinary heroism against enemy forces,” citing 40 days of combat operations and a maritime blockade of Iran during Operation Epic Fury, the U.S. campaign against Iran that began Feb. 28.

Reading the citation, Hegseth said the strike group flew 3,693 combat sorties, delivered 1.37 million pounds of ordnance, launched 450 Tomahawk land attack cruise missiles from its escort warships, shot down 77 Iranian one-way attack drones, destroyed 21 anti-ship cruise missiles and helped sink 64 Iranian warships.

The Navy’s own tally, released as the ship came home, credits the Lincoln’s crew with supporting more than 13,000 aviation sorties by Carrier Air Wing 9, totaling 28,500 flight hours. The carrier steamed more than 93,000 nautical miles and conducted 72 replenishments at sea, taking on more than 20.5 million gallons of aviation fuel.

Hegseth’s remarks

In remarks of roughly 15 minutes, Hegseth praised the crew’s endurance and its record at sea.

“I thank Almighty God for such Americans, for such men, and for such women, who put their life on the line, 265 continuous days without a port call, two times extended when you thought you were going home, and we asked you to do more,” he said. “And you know what you did? You did more.”

Hegseth acknowledged that it was his signature on the two extensions of the deployment, saying the mission required it and that “President [Donald] Trump had full faith that you would deliver on behalf of the American people. And you did.”

He credited the strike group with a lasting strategic result. “You have changed the arc of history, ensuring that crazy people, theocrats, never get a nuclear weapon,” he said.

Hegseth also pushed back on news reports about conditions aboard the ship during the long deployment, including food supply problems and mental health strain. Acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao disclosed last month that eight sailors in the strike group had attempted suicide. “There were a few folks in the media who tried to turn the USS Abraham Lincoln into some sort of symbol. A symbol of dysfunction or a symbol of low morale or a symbol of a failed mission,” Hegseth said, adding that what he saw and heard from the crew was “the exact opposite.”

“What makes the U.S. military and the U.S. Navy and all these sailors different is that you adapt and that you’re resilient and you overcome — you finish the mission nonetheless,” he said.

The visit had lighter moments. After the crew corrected one of his statistics on round-the-clock flight operations, Hegseth did push-ups for the crew, who cheered.

He also asked the sailors to carry a message home. “When you greet your families tomorrow, just pass my gratitude from the president and myself; let them know that their long wait, we believe, was in service of a righteous and historic mission,” Hegseth said. “Thank them for their patience, for their patriotism, for their love, and for their support for pitching in on the homeland, which is never easy.”

Rear Adm. Robert Loughran, who commands Carrier Strike Group 3, said the team “set a new standard of excellence through their extraordinary conduct during this historic deployment.”