CENTCOM Commander Completes 10-Day Middle East Tour Covering Six Countries and USS Abraham Lincoln
Admiral Brad Cooper meets senior leaders in Bahrain, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE, presides over CJTF-OIR leadership transition, and calls the Lincoln's deployment "one of the most operationally intense of the modern era"
ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) - US Central Command Admiral Brad Cooper completed a 10-day trip to the Middle East on Friday, having visited six countries and an American aircraft carrier operating in the Arabian Sea in one of the most comprehensive regional tours undertaken by a CENTCOM commander since the conflict began, Tampa, Florida-based CENTCOM announced.
Cooper met with senior civilian and military leaders in Bahrain, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates across the 10-day visit, while also spending time with deployed US service members throughout the region. More than 50,000 American service members are currently operating across the Middle East supporting various missions, CENTCOM confirmed.
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) August 15, 2026
A Leadership Transition at CJTF-OIR
Among the most significant events of Cooper's regional tour was the leadership transition he presided over for Combined Joint Task Force, Operation Inherent Resolve, the US-led coalition mission originally established to counter ISIS across Iraq and Syria. Major General Kevin Lambert turned over command of CJTF-OIR to Rear Admiral Liam Hulin on August 11, 2026, during a ceremony held at the task force's headquarters in Jordan.
The transition places a naval officer at the helm of CJTF-OIR at a moment when the mission's operational environment has been fundamentally reshaped by the broader US-Iran conflict, with Jordan emerging as one of Washington's most critical military operating hubs in the region following the consolidation of American forces there from bases in Bahrain, Qatar, and the UAE. Iran struck Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan on July 17, 2026, killing two US service members and wounding dozens, marking the most lethal single Iranian attack on American forces during the conflict.
Aboard USS Abraham Lincoln
While at sea, Cooper boarded USS Abraham Lincoln, CVN 72, for the second time this year, meeting with sailors and Marines and addressing the entire carrier strike group team. He thanked them for their dedication and courage and, during the visit, awarded deserving individuals, recognized exceptional performers, and re-enlisted troops.
Cooper had previously visited the Abraham Lincoln in February 2026 alongside US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, a visit that took place as the diplomatic architecture around the conflict was being constructed in its earliest phase.
The admiral's assessment of the Lincoln's deployment was unambiguous in its historical weight. "The Lincoln Carrier Strike Group is a strong team of high-achieving Americans standing tall with immense, justified pride in everything they accomplished," Cooper said. "History will record this deployment as one of the most operationally intense and consequential of the modern era."
Based in San Diego, the Abraham Lincoln departed for deployment in November 2025 and arrived in the Middle East in January 2026. The strike group has conducted thousands of combat flights in support of Operation Epic Fury, regional security missions, and the ongoing US naval blockade against Iran since its arrival in the region.
Six Countries, One Carrier, One Message
The breadth of Cooper's itinerary, spanning Bahrain, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE, reflects the geographic scope of the American military commitment across the Middle East at a moment when the conflict with Iran has drawn US forces into simultaneous engagements across multiple fronts. Each of the six countries Cooper visited plays a distinct role in the broader operational picture: Bahrain hosts the US Navy's Fifth Fleet headquarters, Iraq is the site of CJTF-OIR and a front for Iranian proxy attacks on US forces, Israel is Washington's primary military partner in the conflict, Jordan has emerged as a critical hub and has absorbed direct Iranian strikes, Saudi Arabia participated in joint strikes on Iranian proxy targets in Iraq alongside US forces on July 28, 2026, and the UAE hosts key logistics and basing infrastructure for American operations across the region.
Cooper's recognition of exceptional performers, reenlistment ceremonies, and direct engagement with junior service members throughout the trip reflect the human dimension of a command whose forces have now been operating at sustained high-intensity combat tempo for more than five months.