Nov. 19, 2019 —
ARABIAN GULF – The Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group (ABECSG) completed a scheduled transit through the Strait of Hormuz into the Arabian Gulf, Nov. 19.
The Strait of Hormuz is one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world, with one-fifth of the world’s energy supply transiting through the strait annually. This waterway is critical to ensuring and safeguarding the stability of global commerce.
“I’m incredibly proud of the Abraham Lincoln Strike Group Sailors and the professionalism they have demonstrated throughout this deployment,” said Rear Adm. Michael Boyle, commander, Carrier Strike Group (CSG) 12. “Especially in evolutions like a strait transit, where detailed planning, precision navigation and the proficiency of our warfighting teams are on full display.”
ABECSG presence in the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations (AOO), where it has operated since May, demonstrates the U.S. and its regional partners’ commitment to the free flow of commerce, regional maritime security and freedom of navigation.
“A carrier brings immense capabilities wherever it goes,” said Capt. Walter Slaughter, commanding officer of USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72), the flagship of ABESG. “We place ourselves where we need to be, when we need to be there, in order to meet the full range of maritime security requirements of the mission at hand.”
The U.S. 5th Fleet AOO encompasses about 2.5 million square miles of water and includes the Arabian Gulf, Gulf of Oman, Red Sea and parts of the Indian Ocean. The expanse is comprised of 20 countries and includes three critical choke points at the Strait of Hormuz, the Suez Canal and the Strait of Bab al Mandeb at the southern tip of Yemen.
Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group is deployed to the U.S. 5th Fleet AOO in support of naval operations to ensure maritime stability and security in the Central Region, connecting the Mediterranean and the Pacific through the western Indian Ocean and three strategic choke points. With Abraham Lincoln as the flagship, deployed strike group assets include staffs, ships and aircraft of CSG 12, Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 2, USS Leyte Gulf (CG 55) and Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 7.
