By Jen Judson Aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth greeted the crew with an admission: He was the one who approved prolonging the aircraft carrier’s unusually long deployment in the Middle East amid the US war with Iran.

“I’m the one who signed that orders book — twice — to extend you,” he said in his speech, after flying out to the vessel as it sailed toward its home port of San Diego. “I plead guilty.”The remarks prompted a smattering of awkward laughs and a mild whoop from the sailors.

Hegseth’s remarks come after the Lincoln’s crew saw 265 days at sea supporting combat operations in the war against Iran without a port visit.

The lengthy deployment and reports of dismal conditions, including food shortages and no way to call home sparked a public outcry. It also fueled concerns about the US Navy’s readiness for other potential conflicts, particularly amid an open-ended naval blockade against Iran.

The US Navy conceded to lawmakers that eight sailors in the Lincoln’s strike group attempted suicide during the deployment. The Trump administration and the Pentagon have repeatedly downplayed concerns. In his remarks on Wednesday, Hegseth did not address those issues but did attack the US media for reporting on concerns about the vessel’s conditions.

“There were a few folks in the media who tried to turn the USS Abraham Lincoln into some sort of a symbol — a symbol of dysfunction or a symbol of low morale or a symbol of a failed mission,” Hegseth said. “And what I look out at right here, and when I talk to your leadership, and I have had a chance to talk to a number of you, I know it’s the exact opposite.”

Hegseth defended the decision to keep the Lincoln deployed because of the “incredible effectiveness that you showcased on the battlefield and the necessity,” adding “the mission required it” and that President Donald Trump “had full faith that you would deliver on behalf of the American people.”He announced onboard that the strike group was being awarded the Presidential Unit Citation, prompting cheers.

Hegseth — dressed casually in a green collared shirt and wearing a baseball hat — rattled off a number of statistics about the number of sorties flown off the carrier and the amount of explosive ordnance dropped on the enemy.

Amid listing the accomplishments, Hegseth misspoke, stating the carrier conducted 60 straight hours of constant combat flight operations at the beginning of Operation Epic Fury against Iran. Someone on the stage with him quickly corrected him. The carrier group actually conducted 160 hours at the beginning of the operation, he corrected.

Reading aloud from the citation, Hegseth said the strike group executed 3,693 combat sorties, delivered 1.37 million pounds (roughly 685 tons) of ordnance, launched 450 Tomahawk land attack cruise missiles, shot down 77 one-way attack drones, sank 64 Iranian warships and defended against four fast attack craft.

The carrier and its 5,000 crew are set to arrive shortly in San Diego following its extended deployment, which began on Feb. 28 and ended Aug. 22. In that time, the crew also participated in the US Navy blockade of Iranian ports.