The military is bringing back the single U.S. Navy aircraft carrier in the Middle East in the midst of heightened tensions with Iran, said the Pentagon in a statement on Thursday. According to the statement, acting Defense Secretary Christopher Miller directed the USS Nimitz—following a nearly 10-month—to return home. The ship had been providing support to troops in Somalia. “The Secretary appreciates the hard work, commitment, and flexibility of more than 5,000 Sailors and Marines of the Nimitz Carrier Strike Group who repeatedly demonstrated operational excellence in providing air support to combat operations against terrorists in Iraq and Afghanistan and ensuring maritime security in critical waterways,” Jonathan Hoffman, a spokesman for the Department of Defense (DOD), said in a statement. The USS Nimitz has “provided persistent air cover during the troop drawdowns in Afghanistan and conducted operations and exercises that strengthened enduring partnerships and alliances in the U.S. Central Command and …