What's New
A United States naval strike group, led by a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, was sailing toward the South China Sea on Sunday, according to photos released by the U.S. Navy.
The U.S. Seventh Fleet, which has an area of operations that covers the Western Pacific Ocean, confirmed to Newsweek on Monday that aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson and its strike group were underway in the Sulu Sea, located to the east of the South China Sea.
Newsweek has also reached out to the Chinese Defense Ministry for comment by email.
Why It Matters
This was the second time the U.S. military sent one of its 11 aircraft carriers to the South China Sea since December 1, when USS Abraham Lincoln was on a homebound voyage from the Middle East. It returned to its home port in San Diego, California, on Friday.
China and its neighbors, including the Philippines, have their sovereign claims overlap in the South China Sea. In its latest report on Chinese military power, the Pentagon accused China of using unsafe and unprofessional measures against ships of other claimant nations.
What To Know
The Carl Vinson carrier strike group, which also included one cruiser, USS Princeton, as well as two destroyers, USS Sterett and USS William P. Lawrence, transited the Surigao Strait in formation on Sunday. The waterway is in the southeastern Philippines.
Photos published by the U.S. Navy also showed that, the previous day, the strike group was underway in the Philippine Sea, a marginal sea of the Western Pacific Ocean east of the Philippine Archipelago, indicating it was on a voyage heading toward the west.
The Carl Vinson left its home port in San Diego in mid-November for deployment. While it was underway in the Philippine Sea earlier this month, six additional F-35C Lightning II stealth fighter jets, which are based out of Japan, deployed aboard the aircraft carrier.
It is expected that the Carl Vinson will remain in the Western Pacific Ocean as another U.S. aircraft carrier, USS Harry S. Truman, reached the Middle East last week to protect Red Sea shipping from the threats posed by the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen.
This summer, the U.S. Navy had retasked two aircraft carriers, USS Theodore Roosevelt and the Abraham Lincoln, from their Pacific Ocean deployment to the Middle East amid tensions in the region, which created a U.S. "carrier gap" in China's surrounding waters.
In addition to the Carl Vinson, the U.S. Navy has a second aircraft carrier stationed in the Western Pacific Ocean. USS George Washington is on its second deployment to Japan, and it remained pierside at its home port in the Greater Tokyo Area as of Tuesday.
What People Are Saying
The U.S. Indo-Pacific Command said on X (formerly Twitter): "We extend our deepest gratitude to our service members for their unwavering commitment and sacrifice, especially during this holiday season. Your efforts ensure our safety and security every day."
@WBWhiskeyBravo, an account active on X that monitors the South China Sea situation, said: "This movement signals a heightened U.S. Navy presence in the region, reinforcing security and readiness amid rising tensions in the contested waters."
What Happens Next
It remains to be seen whether the Chinese military will respond to the arrival of the Carl Vinson in the South China Sea. An open-source satellite image showed that a Chinese aircraft carrier, CNS Shandong, was pierside at its home port on China's southern Hainan Island as of Sunday.
English (US) ·