Setting sail in July 1986, "John F. Kennedy" participated in the International Naval Review to help mark the Re-dedication of the Statue of Liberty. "John F. Kennedy" served as the flagship for the armada before departing on her eleventh overseas deployment to the Mediterranean in Augusthighlighted by multiple Freedom of Navigation exercises in the Gulf of Sidra, and operations off of the coast of Lebanon as a response to increasing terrorist activities and U.S. citizens being taken hostage in Beirut. The ship returned to Norfolk, Virginia in March 1987 and was dry-docked a second time for fifteen months for critical upgrades and major repairs.