The USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group entered the South China Sea under escort this weekend, bound for a liberty port call in Thailand after nearly 10 months at sea without a break. The guided-missile cruiser USS Robert Smalls and destroyer USS Frank E. Petersen Jr. accompanied the carrier through the Strait of Malacca and Singapore Strait, marking the first time Lincoln’s Automatic Identification System transponder has broadcast its position since January.
The carrier’s arrival in Laem Chabang will end a 285-day deployment streak without a liberty call, the second-longest in the modern carrier era if it reaches 326 days. Meanwhile, the Middle East remains tense as U.S. and Iranian forces exchanged strikes for the first time in over a month. CENTCOM launched preemptive strikes on Larak Island after observing Iranian preparations to deploy naval mines, while Iran retaliated with ballistic missiles aimed at a Jordanian air base.
The Abraham Lincoln’s escort included the IAMD-equipped destroyer Petersen Jr., which has coordinated anti-air defenses during months of combat operations. The addition of the cruiser USS Robert Smalls, pulled from the George Washington Carrier Strike Group, raises questions about the carrier’s security posture, as CENTCOM has not explained the redirection.
