The US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced that its commander, Admiral Brad Cooper, recently concluded a ten-day, six-nation visit to the Middle East. The tour included inspections of American troops and the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier. CENTCOM reported over 50,000 US
military personnel are currently operating in the region, engaged in various missions. Admiral Cooper inspected these deployed forces. During his second visit this year to the USS Abraham Lincoln in the Arabian Sea, Cooper declared its deployment as "one of the
most operationally intensive and impactful deployments in modern times." The aircraft carrier began its deployment in November, arriving in the Middle East in January. Its strike group has conducted thousands of combat sorties, supporting Operation "Epic Wrath," regional security missions, and
the ongoing US naval blockade on Iran. Admiral Cooper's ten-day itinerary covered Bahrain, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.
