USS Lincoln Hosts Brunei Military Leaders

USS ABRAHAM LINCOLN, At Sea | USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) hosted 16 guests from Brunei while underway Feb. 22, including senior members of military and government agencies, media reporters, and U.S. Embassy representatives, during a visit to reinforce the partnership the U.S. shares with its 7th Fleet partner.

The guests were greeted by Rear Adm. Mark Guadagnini, commander, Carrier Strike Group (CSG) 9, before attending a formal lunch followed by a full day of tours, discussion forums, a personal briefing by strike group aviators, and interaction with the ship's crew.

Deputy Minister of Defense Dato Paduka Mustappa Sirat was the senior member of the delegation, accompanied by Permanent Secretary Dato Paduka Haji Shofry Hj Abdul Ghafor, Permanent Secretary Pengiran Datin Masrainah, Commander of the Joint Operations Center Col. Aziz Tamit, five others from the Royal Brunei Armed Forces, four members of the media, and three members of the Embassy staff.

The Brunei delegation was briefed on the ship's defense capabilities while visiting the combat direction center. They then toured the ship's bridge and hangar bays, saw an F/A-18 Super Hornet close-up, and had the opportunity to observe flight operations from the flight deck.

"My favorite part of the trip was being on the flight deck," said Senior Superintendent Amiruddin bin Haji Junaidi, head of the Brunei Marine Police. "The rolling, vibrations and action was exhilarating and the professional coordination of all the people and aircraft was very exciting to watch. I can't wait to tell my family and friends about my experience on board the Lincoln."

The U.S. and Brunei have a long established military relationship, to include joint exercises and training evolutions. The purpose of this visit was for Lincoln to showcase firsthand what capabilities it offers to help maintain stability and security in the region, in a multinational effort to promote peace and prosperity.

"This was a tremendous opportunity for us to see the ship," said Lt. Col. Ghani bin Haji Abdullah, Royal Brunei Land Forces chief of staff. "It is amazing to see all of the ship's potential in supporting all the Sailors and their missions."

"It was a trip we will never soon forget, and we must emphasize the importance of your presence in our region," Mustappa said.

The Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group is currently operating in the 7th Fleet area of responsibility supporting maritime security operations and theater security cooperation efforts to establish conditions for regional stability.

USS Abraham Lincoln Arrives in Singapore

SINGAPORE (NNS) -- USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) and embarked Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 2 arrived in Singapore, Feb. 16, to enjoy liberty, meet with local professionals and colleagues, and serve the community.

Approximately 5,000 Lincoln and CVW 2 Sailors will visit the island to experience the rich culture and history of one of the world's most thriving nations. 

While in Singapore, Lincoln will host a reception for nearly 400 distinguished visitors. Guests of honor include Republic of Singapore Navy Fleet Commander, Rear Adm. Joseph Leong and U.S. Ambassador to Singapore David Adelman.

"Singapore continues to be one of our strongest strategic partners in Asia and a key contributor to international maritime security; the region is more stable, secure and prosperous than ever thanks to our maritime cooperation efforts," said Rear Adm. Mark Guadagnini, Commander, Abraham Lincoln Strike Group.

During the reception and following days, more than 1,000 visitors are expected to tour the ship, including notable guests from the Singapore Sailing Federation, members of the Republic of Singapore Air Force, numerous international ambassadors, law enforcement officials, and Ms. Singapore 2009 Rachel Kum.

Students from the National University of Singapore's School of Public Policy will also receive a tour and a special presentation on women in leadership roles from Capt. Carol A. Hottenrott, Commander, Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 9.

While in Singapore, Lincoln Strike Group Sailors will participate in six community service events, including a visit to the Riding for the Disabled Association of Singapore, an organization which provides free, therapeutic horse riding lessons to children and adults with disabilities from all over Singapore. 

"By working together to expand our partnership, Singapore and the United States will continue to foster and enable the conditions for prosperity within the Southeast Asian region, and free use of the sea lanes by all peaceful nations of the world," said Guadagnini.

The Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group is in the U.S. 7th Fleet's area of responsibility as part of a routine deployment to promote peace, cooperation and stability in the region. The ships of Lincoln Strike Group currently reach all corners of 7th Fleet, from the USS Shoup in Australia, to USS Halsey underway near Hong Kong, and USS Cape St. George visiting Phuket, Thailand.

Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group consists of flagship USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72), embarked Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 2, San Diego-based guided-missile cruiser USS Cape St. George (CG 71), and the embarked Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 9. Ships assigned to DESRON 9 include the Everett-based destroyers Momsen (DDG 92) and Shoup (DDG 86), as well as USS Halsey (DDG 97) and USS Sterett (DDG 104).

For more information on Abraham Lincoln Strike Group and the USS Abraham Lincoln, visitwww.facebook.com/usslincoln or http://www.navy.mil/local/cvn72/ 

USS Abraham Lincoln Passes Key Maintenance Inspection

By Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Seth Clarke, USS Abraham Lincoln Public Affairs USS ABRAHAM LINCOLN, At Sea (NNS) -- USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) successfully passed its 2010-2011 Maintenance and Material Management Inspection (3MI) Jan. 25-29, demonstrating a high level of expertise in shipboard equipment and maintenance procedures. Lincoln received a final score of 92.34 percent from Naval Air Forces inspectors who conducted spot checks of equipment maintenance, tested the crew's knowledge of the Navy's Material Data System (MDS), and performed administrative reviews to ensure maintenance accountability and validation paperwork was correct. "The results are fantastic," said Master Chief Electrician's Mate James T. Jennings, Commander, Naval Air Forces (CNAF) Maintenance and Material Management (3M) team leader. "Abraham Lincoln's crew showed us that they've put a lot of hard work in," Jennings said. "It sets the precedent for the other ten carriers out there." Master Chief Machinist's Mate Michael Gwinn, USS Abraham Lincoln Engineering department leading chief petty officer, said the Lincoln owes its success to training, preparation and execution. "We trained the right skills at the right level," Gwinn said. "We taught supervisors how to review and how to assess correctly; then we went directly to the maintenance person so he or she could get the right answers." Jennings said he fully expects Lincoln's crew will still be executing maintenance at a high level when the inspection team returns to the ship sometime later this year to oversee a 3M training team (3MTT) exercise. "When I see the Lincoln crew again, I anticipate that you will not just have maintained this standard, but that you will have improved upon what you've achieved here," Jennings said. The Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group is deployed in the U.S. 5th Fleet area of responsibility, conducting maritime security operations and theater security cooperation efforts to establish conditions for regional stability. For more news from USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72), visit www.navy.mil/local/cvn72/.