Adm. Brad Cooper, commander of U.S. Central Command, concluded a 10-day tour of the Middle East on Saturday, during which he held talks with military and government officials in six countries and visited troops aboard a U.S. aircraft carrier deployed in the Arabian Sea.
The trip took Cooper to Bahrain, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, according to a CENTCOM statement. It marked his second visit to the carrier, the USS Abraham Lincoln, this year.
Cooper’s stop aboard the Lincoln came as the ship’s prolonged deployment has drawn scrutiny from lawmakers and military families, who have raised concerns over living conditions, food and equipment shortages, and the mental health of the roughly 5,000 sailors and Marines aboard. The carrier, based in San Diego, left port in November and has been at sea for more than 260 days, first in the Pacific before shifting to the Middle East ahead of the conflict with Iran.
CENTCOM said the strike group has carried out thousands of combat missions as part of Operation Epic Fury and other regional security operations, and has played a central role in a U.S. naval blockade targeting Iranian shipping. The command pushed back on recent reporting about morale problems on the vessel, calling it inaccurate and unfair to service members, while confirming that one sailor who went overboard in early August was safely recovered.
Cooper’s regional tour comes at a tense moment for U.S. forces in the Middle East, with Washington enforcing a maritime blockade against Iran and continued exchanges of fire reported elsewhere in the region.
CENTCOM did not immediately provide further details on the substance of Cooper’s meetings with regional partners during the trip.
