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The aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln is scheduled to dock in Thailand next week for a routine port visit focused on crew rest and recuperation. The ship departed the Middle East on Saturday after more than 200 consecutive days at sea, which Thai officials described as a modern record for consecutive days without a port call.
The carrier left its home port of San Diego in November and was redirected to the Middle East to support military operations during the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran. While standard naval deployments typically last between six and nine months, active conflicts can lead to extensions. The ship carries approximately 5,000 sailors and Marines.
The Thai Navy confirmed that a U.S. Navy carrier strike group will stop in eastern Thailand for logistics and recreation, though they did not identify the three specific vessels or provide a precise arrival date due to security concerns. This visit follows reports from defense publications Navy Times and Stars and Stripes regarding declining morale and suicide attempts on the carrier. U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth stated that these reports "completely misrepresented" the conditions on the vessel.
The situation also directly impacts military families, such as the relatives of sailor Joshua Aviles. While Aviles was deployed, his father, Luis Manuel Aviles Roa, was arrested by U.S. Border Patrol in Florida and placed in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention pending removal proceedings. This event highlights the intersection of military service and immigration enforcement, as the sailor expressed difficulty maintaining his duties while his father faces deportation.
For the U.S. Navy and its international partners, the port call reinforces a long-standing security relationship with Thailand, which has been a treaty ally since 1954. The visit provides necessary logistical support for the strike group as it transitions from the Middle East. While a specific arrival date has not been released by the Thai Navy or the U.S. Embassy in Bangkok, the arrival is expected sometime next week, following the ship's Saturday departure from the Middle East.