Summary

The Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln and Carrier Strike Group 3 pulled into Guam on Saturday for a short logistics stop, officially marking the 10th month of its deployment. The Lincoln left Naval Station North Island in San Diego, California, on Nov. 21, 2025, and joined U.S. Naval forces in the Middle East to support combat operations during the Iran war. “The stop on Naval Base Guam marks CSG-3 personnel’s first return to American soil in nine months, during which personnel will be afforded on-base liberty,” the Navy said. The Lincoln, which is the flagship of Carrier Strike Group 3, arrived with Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Frank E. Petersen Jr. and embarked staffs of Carrier Air Wing 9 and Destroyer Squadron 21. The ship went over 260 days without a scheduled port call and faced concerns over mental health and declining morale aboard the ship, with two sailors attempting to jump overboard. Military family members expressed frustration with Navy officials over reported food shortages and concerns over self-harm during a town hall meeting in San Diego, California, in August. A sailor who served aboard the Lincoln during its most recent deployment said access to mental health resources was stymied by weeks-long wait times to see licensed mental health clinicians aboard the ship. The Lincoln left the Middle East shortly after revelations concerning the sailors attempting to jump overboard came to light and was replaced by the USS George Washington in the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations. The Lincoln arrived in Thailand on Sept. 2, 2026, for the second scheduled port call of its deployment. The ship is currently conducting routine operations in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations. With its deployment, the Lincoln follows in the footsteps of the USS Gerald R. Ford, which broke the record for the longest post-Vietnam deployment at 326 days when it returned in May from the Middle East. The Lincoln is currently at 304 days. Riley Ceder is a Navy reporter at Military Times, where he covers issues directly affecting service members and their families, as well as breaking news.