The United States has deployed multiple key naval forces in the western Pacific, including the USS Washington aircraft carrier fleet, the Lightning aircraft carrier, and submarines, aiming to demonstrate military strength and in response to the deployment of two aircraft carriers by the Chinese Communist Party in the region.
Officially disclosed information and satellite images were used by “News Weekly” to create a map tracking the deployment of US aircraft carriers, ballistic missile submarines, and two amphibious assault ships in the western Pacific.
The Chinese aircraft carriers Shandong and Liaoning were both active in the western Pacific in June, conducting activities between the first and second island chains, carrying out various joint sea-air operations, anti-submarine and anti-ship activities, as well as simulated attacks, causing unease among neighboring countries.
With the Nimitz aircraft carrier re-deployed from the western Pacific to the Middle East, the USS George Washington aircraft carrier is currently the only US aircraft carrier in the western Pacific.
According to satellite images, the USS George Washington aircraft carrier was sailing in the waters near the Philippine Sea and the southwestern islands of Japan on Monday, June 30. The US Navy stated that the aircraft carrier is conducting patrol missions in the Seventh Fleet operational area.
Officially released footage from the US military shows the USS Washington aircraft carrier conducting fighter jet flight training. The carrier is capable of carrying various carrier-based aircraft, including F/A-18E/F fighter jets and F-35C stealth fighter jets.
A set of photos released on Sunday, June 29, showed the USS Ohio, a US nuclear-powered missile submarine based in Bangor, Washington, arriving at the Guam Naval Base on June 23. Guam is the westernmost US territory and a platform for projecting military force towards China.
This is the second stop for the USS Ohio at Guam since April. The nuclear-powered submarine can carry up to 154 Tomahawk cruise missiles, with a range of 1,000 miles (approximately 1,600 kilometers), and can accommodate up to 66 special operations personnel and their equipment.
At the same time, the USS Tripoli, an America-class amphibious assault ship, arrived at its new homeport in Sasebo, Japan on June 23. The ship is designed to carry vertical takeoff and landing F-35B fighter jets and can deploy military forces from the sea to the shore, including landing troops and equipment.
The USS Tripoli has been a core part of the Navy’s experimental “Lightning Carrier” concept, demonstrating the flexibility of such ships to perform some missions of larger carrier air wings. These warships carry fixed-wing and rotary aircraft piloted by Navy Marines and Navy pilots, such as the MV-22 Osprey tiltrotor aircraft, MH-60S Seahawk helicopters, and F-35B stealth fighters.
The USS Tripoli is planned to replace its sister ship, the USS America, currently docked in Sasebo Port. The Navy stated that this scheduled ship rotation will ensure that the US military has the “most powerful naval vessels” in the region, capable of quickly adapting to the ever-changing environment in the Indo-Pacific region.
As of Sunday, the USS America, an amphibious assault ship, was conducting sailing exercises in the Coral Sea off the northeast coast of Australia, with carrier-based F-35B fighter jets performing flight operations. The ship visited Sydney on June 14, accompanied by two other amphibious ships.
In a video caption on June 27, the US Navy wrote: “USS George Washington is the most important forward-deployed aircraft carrier of the US Navy, symbolizing America’s commitment to maintaining a free and open Indo-Pacific region, and is also a part of the US Seventh Fleet, the largest fleet of the US Navy.”