 Reporting to the 5th Fleet Operating Area, VFA-34 launched strikes over Iraq and Afghanistan, returning home in October 2008.After an extended stand down period the squadron returned to USS "Abraham Lincoln" for deployment back to the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman from 7 September 2010 to 24 March 2011.In 2012, the squadron won the Battle "E" award for excellence during a period of sustained readiness and combat operations.