USS George H. W. Bush to bring 5,000 sailors to Phuket

The USS George H. W. Bush aircraft carrier and the guided-missile destroyer USS Delbert D. Black are scheduled to make a port call in Phuket, Thailand, from October 4 to 9, 2026. The visit will bring approximately 5,000 U.S. Navy personnel to the island.

Local officials, including Phuket City Police Superintendent Pol. Col. Chatree Chukaew, have met with deputy assistant defense attachés from the U.S. Embassy to coordinate security, logistics, and shore leave arrangements. Thai authorities have emphasized the importance of visiting sailors respecting and complying with local laws during their stay.

The USS George H. W. Bush recently deployed to the Arabian Sea to support U.S. Central Command operations. This visit follows a similar port call by the USS Abraham Lincoln in Pattaya last month, which was estimated to have injected approximately 100 million baht into the local economy.