Adm. Brad Cooper, commander of U.S. Central Command, completed a 10-day Middle East trip Aug. 15 that included visits to six countries and the USS Abraham Lincoln in the Arabian Sea, the command announced.
Cooper met senior civilian and military leaders in Bahrain, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. CENTCOM said that more than 50,000 American service members are operating across the region.
In Jordan, Cooper presided over an Aug. 11 change of command for Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve. Maj. Gen. Kevin Lambert transferred command to Rear Adm. Liam Hulin at the task force’s headquarters.
At sea, Cooper visited sailors and Marines aboard the Lincoln for the second time this year. His previous visit was in February with U.S. Special Envoy for Peace Missions Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner.
Cooper called the carrier’s deployment one of “the most operationally intense and consequential of the modern era.”
CENTCOM said that the strike group has conducted thousands of combat flights supporting Operation Epic Fury, regional security missions and what it described as an ongoing U.S. naval blockade against Iran. Virginia Times has not independently verified the personnel figure or operational claims.
This is a developing story. Virginia Times will update as information becomes available.
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