Tampa, Florida — U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) announced that the commander of this command, Admiral Brad Cooper, ended his 10-day trip to the Middle East on August 15.

The trip included visits to six countries, as well as a U.S. Navy aircraft carrier currently operating in the Arabian Sea.

Admiral Cooper met with senior civilian and military officials in Bahrain, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates, and also met with American forces deployed in the region. More than 50,000 U.S. military personnel are carrying out various missions across the Middle East.

During his time in the countries of the region, Cooper commended outstanding forces, held ceremonies to extend the service of some service members, and also attended a ceremony for the transfer of command of the Combined Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve (CJTF-OIR). On August 11, Major General Kevin Lambert, during a ceremony at the headquarters of this force in Jordan, handed command over to Rear Admiral Liam Hollen.

In the naval portion of his trip, Cooper visited sailors and Marines deployed aboard the U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) for the second time this year. He had previously visited the carrier in February, together with U.S. special envoy for peace missions Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner.

Addressing all members of the Lincoln’s crew during his recent visit, Cooper thanked them for their sacrifice and courage, met with younger personnel as well, and recognized deserving individuals.

He said: “The Lincoln aircraft carrier strike group is a powerful team of hardworking and successful Americans who take pride in their achievements with great honor and merit. The history of this deployment will be recorded as one of the busiest and most consequential operational periods of the modern era.”

The aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln, whose homeport is in San Diego, was deployed for its mission in November and arrived in the Middle East in January. So far, this strike group has carried out thousands of combat flight sorties in support of Operation Epic Fury, regional security missions, and the ongoing U.S. maritime blockade against Iran.