A U.S. Navy Aircraft Carrier Just Sailed Into China's 'Backyard'
A U.S. Aircraft Carrier Just Arrived in Malaysia, and it is a Big Deal: Anytime a United States Navy Nimitz-class nuclear-powered aircraft arrives for a port of call visit, it is safe to say it is a big deal. Pulling a warship that weighs approximately 97,000 tons at full load requires some careful planning and no shortage of coordination with local officials.
Earlier this week, the fifth Nimitz-class flattop USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) arrived at Port Klang, Malaysia for only its second scheduled port call on her 2024 deployment. It is a really big deal for a couple of reasons – as it is the first time a U.S. Navy aircraft carrier has visited the Maritime Southeast Asian nation since 2012, but also the first since a rather unfortunate scandal.
"This historic visit reaffirms Malaysia's importance to the United States," said U.S. Ambassador to Malaysia Edgard D. Kagan. "It highlights our shared commitment to regional stability and Malaysian sovereignty, providing an invaluable opportunity for collaboration between our navies and key leaders."
Maybe a Little Awkward
The last U.S. carrier to visit Port Klang was USS George Washington (CVN-73) in October 2012, and that came just as USS John C. Stennis (CVN-73) also arrived at Kota Kinabalu for a port call a few days earlier. As USNI News reported, it marked "a rare occasion when a country hosted back-to-back port calls by U.S. carriers. Stennis' visit allowed the U.S. to send a message to China by having a carrier visit near the disputed Spratly Islands."
This time CVN-72 arrived at the Port Klang Cruise Terminal, which was known as the Glenn Cruise Terminal when it was operated by Glenn Defense Marine Asia, which was owned by Leonard "Fat Leonard" Francis. The name might not ring a bell to most, but he is infamous in the U.S. Navy circles – having been sentenced to 15 years in jail earlier this month for what has been described as the largest corruption scandal to impact the United States Navy, where he overcharged the U.S. Navy $35 million for his company's services.
It also involved nine members of the U.S. Navy's Seventh Fleet, who were indicted by a federal grand jury in March 2017 for conspiring with Francis and for receiving bribes. GDMA regularly overbilled the U.S. Navy for goods and services, including fuel, tugboats, and sewage disposal. Francis had been due for sentencing in 2022 after acknowledging that he masterminded a decade-long bribery scheme, in which officials were given millions of dollars in cash, provided luxury travel, top-shelf liquor and cigars, and even provided with prostitutes.
However, he skipped that sentencing and fled the country. U.S. officials lured him to Venezuela last year, and he was brought back to the country. In addition to the 15-year prison sentence, his company was sentenced to five years of probation and was fined $36 million.
Did the U.S. Navy Try to Avoid Malaysia?
The United States Navy was quick to suggest the "more than 4,200 Sailors and Marines stationed aboard Abraham Lincoln, will enjoy the culture and history of the country," Port Klang wasn't apparently the first choice. USNI News cited a defense official, who said that CVN-72 could have arrived in Singapore's Changi Naval Base, but "the shipping lands for entry to Singapore's ports were more congested than usual and logistics and husbanding service companies were also died up."
The report added that merchant shipping around the island nation has increased as vessels are "arriving off schedule in Asia because they reroute to avoid Houthi attacks in the Red Sea." It is from those same waters that USS Abraham Lincoln had been deployed for several months.
Sources also told USNI News that the carrier's visit could reduce any lasting "stigma created by the scandal," while also showing that the U.S. is committed to working with Malaysia. The U.S. Navy had lifted its ban on the Port Klang Cruise Terminal in 2017, but the U.S. Seventh Fleet's command ship USS Blue Ridge (LCC-19) was the first to dock there this past July.
Author Experience and Expertise: Peter Suciu
Peter Suciu is a Michigan-based writer. He has contributed to more than four dozen magazines, newspapers, and websites with over 3,200 published pieces over a twenty-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a Contributing Writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu. You can email the author: Editor@nationalinterest.org.
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