San Diego-based carrier USS Abraham Lincoln patrolling Arabian Sea awaiting sister flattop

The U.S. Central Command confirmed Monday that the San Diego-based aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln is operating in the Arabian Sea, comparatively close to Oman, where the flattop is conducting air operations while awaiting the arrival of another carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford.

The “Abe” is being escorted by the USS Spruance, a San Diego-based destroyer that repelled missile and drone attacks launched its way by Iran-backed Houthis rebels in 2024.

President Trump sent the Lincoln to the Middle East in late January in hopes of pressuring Iran to abandon its nuclear weapons program, and to protect commercial shipping in the Persian Gulf. The president said late last week that regime change in Iran “would be the best thing that could happen” in that country.

The president’s remarks came a few days after Chief of Naval Operations Daryl Caudle told reporters at a conference in San Diego that the frequent use of carriers, and extended deployments, are placing heavy strain on crews and ships.

The Navy is currently busy readying the San Diego-based carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt for its next deployment. A sister carrier, the USS Carl Vinson, is undergoing extension repairs and upgrades at Naval Air Station North Island.

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