Pentagon sends 2nd carrier to help Afghan surge

The Pentagon has sent a after that aircraft carrier to hold up the troop add to in Afghanistan.

The Navy says the USS Abraham Lincoln and the guided missile cruiser USS Cape St. George at home in the area over the weekend. The Lincoln brings an airwing that can send an extra 60 airplane into the war — adding to aircraft by now there and flying from the carrier the USS Harry S. Truman.

A statement from the 5th Fleet in Bahrain says Defense Secretary Robert Gates accepted the sending of the second carrier to help business forces in Afghanistan and hold marine security operations.

The fleet's area of responsibility includes the Persian Gulf, Arabian Sea and areas off of the Horn of Africa where a digit of nations helps on anti-piracy operations.