PHUKET, Thailand – Phuket is gearing up to host 5,000 US navy personnel when the USS George HW Bush makes a port call from 4 to 9 October, the second American aircraft carrier to visit Thailand after seeing action in the Middle East conflict.

USS Abraham Lincoln Arrives in Thailand After Middle East Deployment

Phuket city police chief Pol Col Chatree Chukaew met Tuesday with Lu Pham and Robert Robinson, deputy assistant defence attachés at the US Embassy, to finalise arrangements, with talks covering security and cooperation for the sailors’ shore leave. Thai authorities urged US personnel to respect and comply with Thai law throughout their stay.

The carrier left Norfolk, Virginia, on 31 March 2026 and was deployed to the Arabian Sea to support US Central Command operations during the conflict with Iran. It carries roughly 4,800 personnel and will be joined by the USS Delbert D Black, an Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer with about 320 crew.

Pattaya Prepares To Welcome 5,000 Us Navy Personnel As Aircraft Carrier Arrives

The visit follows a Pattaya port call by the USS Abraham Lincoln just a month ago, also carrying around 5,000 personnel. Pattaya mayor Poramet Ngampichet said that five-day visit passed almost without incident and helped reshape the city’s image as a diverse destination rather than one defined by nightlife and beer bars, estimating it injected about 100 million baht into the local economy.

-Thailand News (TN)