Discussing the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group’s transit through the Strait of Hormuz, U.S. Secretary of Defense Esper posited that “we've been trying to send messages on a number of fronts to a variety of audiences.  One, it should be an assurance to our allies and partners that the U.S. … has a robust presence in the theatre, both, you know, on the sea, on the ground and in the air, number one; number two, it asserts, again, the freedom of navigation, the freedom of -- of commerce through the Strait of Hormuz into the Gulf; number three, it should deter the Iranians from provocative bad behavior”. “That's what the demonstration of not just the Abe [ie, USS Lincoln], but other U.S. ships and vessels transiting the region”, he added.