Defence Minister Phumtham Wechayachai will lead a delegation to visit US navy officials onboard the USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier on Sunday for talks on boosting security and collaboration across Southeast Asia.
Ministry spokesman Maj Gen Thanathip Sawangsang said Mr Phumtham, who doubles as deputy prime minister, and his delegation will board the vessel, located in the Gulf of Thailand in the Chon Buri area, at 1pm via helicopter.
USS Carl Vinson is the US navy's third Nimitz-class supercarrier and can carry a maximum of 6,000 crew members.
The ship was launched in 1980 and has been commissioned on many historic operations, such as the first Persian Gulf war, the Iraq war, and the Afghanistan war.
It also participated in many humanitarian operations, such as the rescue of survivors of the Haiti earthquake.
US navy Rear Admiral Michael S Wosje, commander of Carrier Strike Group ONE, and Captain Matthew C Thomas, the USS Carl Vinson commander, will lead a US delegate on the visit.
The visit will highlight the vessel's architecture and various operations, such as aircraft launches, by the US navy.
The vessel will also be anchored at Laem Chabang Port in Chon Buri from Monday to Friday for a port visit. No roster changes will be made as this is considered a rest period for the vessel's crew.
"The ministry hopes the visit will tighten the diplomatic relationship between Thailand and the US while [fostering] knowledge exchange regarding advanced military technologies," said Maj Gen Thanathip.
