Hegseth Vows Iran Will Never Obtain Nuclear Weapons at USS Lincoln Return

Hegseth awarded the carrier strike group the Presidential Unit Citation for "extraordinary heroism" during 40 days of combat operations in Operation Epic Fury. The honors followed a difficult deployment for the approximately 5,000 sailors and Marines, who spent 7 months of their tour without a single port call. Hegseth rejected claims that the mission was a failure or a symbol of dysfunction, though AFP reported that multiple service members in the group attempted suicide during the assignment.