28/08/2026
USS Abraham Lincoln Returns to Thailand After 15 Years
Date: 2-6 September 2026
Location: Laem Chabang Port, Chonburi
The USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) and two accompanying U.S. Navy vessels are scheduled to make a port call in eastern Thailand. Roughly 5,000 sailors and Marines are aboard the carrier group, and many are expected to spend shore leave in Pattaya and the surrounding area.
This is a rest, recuperation and logistics visit, not a military exercise with Thailand. The Royal Thai Navy and Defence Ministry have specifically stated that no joint exercises are planned.
The carrier is returning from the Middle East after spending more than 250 consecutive days at sea, an unusually long uninterrupted stretch for a modern U.S. carrier deployment.
The USS Abraham Lincoln last visited Thailand in January 2012, when it made a port call at the same Laem Chabang Port.
Local relevance
Pattaya City is already preparing for the influx of personnel, with police, municipal officers and tourism businesses coordinating for the visit. Local estimates suggest the shore leave could inject roughly ฿5–15 million into Pattaya restaurants, transport, accommodation and entertainment businesses, depending on how many crew members are permitted ashore.
© Photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Jerine Orsak