BANGKOK — The USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier will make a stop in Thailand after its gruelling deployment in the Middle East, Thai officials said Wednesday. The Lincoln was supporting the U.S. war against Iran, and its deployment included a record-setting uninterrupted time at sea of more than 250 days. Concerns have grown about the Lincoln’s lengthy deployment following reports of deteriorating mental health among the crew and shortages of supplies including food and hygiene products. Thai defence ministry spokesperson Surasant Kongsiri said the Lincoln will stop in Thailand next week for rest and recovery before returning to its U.S. base. “The stop in Thailand is a chance for the crew to go ashore and relax,” he told reporters at a news conference in Bangkok. On Tuesday, the Royal Thai Navy said three ships from a U.S. Navy carrier strike group were scheduled to stop in eastern Thailand and that no military exercises would be carried out during the visit. Extended deployments of carriers wear on service members who are away from home for long periods and increase strain on the ship and its equipment. While renewed hostilities between the U.S. and Iran calmed in recent weeks, the Navy is enforcing a reimposed blockade on Iranian ports in the Strait of Hormuz, and the Trump administration has offered no clarity on how it intends to wind down the conflict, which will hit the six-month mark this week. Separately Wednesday, the U.S. Navy’s top uniformed officer told reporters that with the surprise needed to launch the Iran war, it took some time to put a “process in place so that we were really replenishing at sea in an effective and systematic way.” Speaking about the Lincoln, Adm. Daryl Caudle said the issue was not about having enough protein or vegetables, but items like hygiene products, energy drinks and soda that sailors come to expect during long ship deployments. He said parts, food and “niceties” have different supply chains and that “we had to get all those dialed in,” noting that “there was some learning curve on our replenishment process.” “It’s a fair critique that there were some puts and takes at the beginning of Epic Fury until we got that dialed in,” Caudle said, referring to the war’s code name. “I think we’re in a good place on that now.” The U.S. embassy in Bangkok did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the Lincoln’s stop in Thailand, and the U.S. Navy declined to comment. --- Jintamas Saksornchai, The Associated Press
