Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, center, arrives on the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz, Thursday, Feb. 25, 2021, at sea. Austin told sailors on the USS Nimitz Thursday that he hopes to avoid long ship deployments like the more than 10 months they just spent at sea. But as he made his first aircraft carrier visit as Pentagon chief, he acknowledged the competing demands for American warships around the globe as he wrestles with security threats from China in the Pacific and Iran in the Middle East. The Nimitz, which left its homeport of Bremerton, Washington, last April, has been at sea for nearly 300 days, including several weeks of pre-deployment exercises. (AP Photo/Lolita Baldor)
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