(FOX 5/KUSI) — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth traveled to San Diego Tuesday to welcome sailors aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln as it returns home after more than 300 consecutive days overseas.
Hegseth departed Washington, D.C., and was scheduled to arrive at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar sometime Tuesday night. He will then fly out to the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier the following day before it arrives off the coast of San Diego Thursday.
Service members on USS Abraham Lincoln share biggest challenges during deployment
A Pentagon news release said Hegseth planned to speak to the crew aboard the ship, participate in a workout and eat lunch with military members.
The visit comes as hundreds of sailors prepare to end the second-longest deployment since the Vietnam War, one marked by reports offood and supply shortages, poor morale and multiple suicide attempts.
Hegseth initially dismissed early reports about deteriorating conditions and mental health on board the ship, calling them “completely misrepresented.”…