The aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln will dock in Thailand next week for a brief port call, ending a record 200-day deployment at sea. The ship, carrying roughly 5,000 sailors and Marines, left the Middle East on Saturday and has not made a port visit in over six months. Thai officials confirmed the stop is intended for rest and logistical support, with no military exercises planned.
The visit follows reports of deteriorating morale and multiple suicide attempts among crew members, though U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth called those accounts misleading. The Lincoln departed San Diego in November and was later deployed to the Middle East in support of U.S. operations amid tensions with Iran.
Thailand, a long-standing U.S. treaty ally, has hosted U.S. Navy ships before, but this stop comes after an unusually long absence. The Thai Navy cited security concerns in declining to name the accompanying vessels or provide a specific date for the visit.
