U.S. Navy Shores Up Carrier Presence in West Pacific

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China has conducted military exercises in response to previous high level interactions between the United States and Taiwan, and they have drawn condemnation from the United States in the past.

To deter and prepare for contingencies, the U.S. Navy has moved three Nimitz-class aircraft carriers to the West Pacific. All three carriers are operating with an Advanced Air Wing, the U.S. Navy’s concept of a 2030s air wing.

Also known as the Air Wing of the Future, each carrier is operating with 5th generation F-35C Lightning IIs, newly delivered CMV-22B Osprey carrier onboard delivery (COD) aircraft, upgraded E-2D Hawkeye early warning aircraft, and newly delivered AN/ALQ-249 Next Generation Jammer Mid Band (NGJ-MB) electronic warfare pods for EA-18G Growler jamming aircraft. Naval News previously covered the Advanced Air Wing’s composition on its first deployment to Exercise Rim of the Pacific 2024 (RIMPAC 2024).

Earlier this month, the USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) departed CENTCOM and the 5th Fleet Area of Responsibility to continue its deployment in the West Pacific. This left 7th Fleet without a carrier for the first time since 2001. The Lincoln is four and a half months into its planned deployment, and is expected to remain in the West Pacific through late January at the least.

On November 27th, the Lincoln departed Port Klang, Malaysia after a scheduled port call. The Abraham Lincoln now operating in the South China Sea with three escorts and one replenishment oiler; Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyers USS Spruance (DDG 111), USS Michael Murphy (DDG 112), and USS Frank E. Petersen Jr. (DDG 121), alongside replenishment oiler USNS Rappahannock (T AO 204).

A second carrier, the USS Carl Vinson (CVN 71) departed San Diego on November 18 for an unannounced deployment to the 7th Fleet Area of Responsibility. Guided missile cruiser USS Princeton (CG 59) departed San Diego the same day to serve as the carrier’s escort.

USS Sterett (DDG 104) completed ammunition onload at Naval Weapons Station Seal beach on November 21st. USS William P. Lawrence (DDG 110) completed ammunition onload at Naval Magazine Lualualei on November 22nd. Both Arleigh Burke-class destroyers will serve as escorts throughout the Vinson‘s deployment to 3rd and 7th Fleet, supplementing USS Princeton.

The Carl Vinson‘s embarked Carrier Air Wing 2 (CVW-2) is the Navy’s first confirmed operator of the AIM-174B ALC, the longest range air-to-air missile in U.S. inventory. The AIM-174B ALC is operationally deployed in the U.S. Navy according to a U.S. Navy spokesperson, who offered no further comment on the status of the AIM-174B on other deployed Pacific Fleet carriers. CVW-2 is the most technologically advanced air wing in the U.S. Navy today.

The third carrier, USS George Washington (CVN 73), recently completed a homeport change to Yokosuka, Japan following an extended six year refueling and complex overhaul (RCOH) period in Newport News, Virginia. Guided missile destroyers USS Higgins (DDG 76) and USS McCampbell (DDG 85) joined the George Washington in a tour around South America, ending in a homeport change for all three ships to Yokosuka, Japan.

USS George Washington is the third and most recent Nimitz-class aircraft carrier to operate with an Advanced Air Wing, bringing the ‘Argonauts’ of Strike Fighter Squadron 147 (VFA-147) to Marine Combat Air Station Iwakuni, Japan. VFA-147 is now the U.S. Navy’s first forward deployed F-35C Lighting II squadron.

As part of its homeport change to Yokosuka, Japan, the USS George Washington replaced USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 75) as the U.S. Navy’s forward deployed carrier in 7th Fleet. The Ronald Reagan completed a homeport shift to Naval Base Kitsap, Bremerton, Washington, in August.

These three carriers operate the U.S. Navy’s three premier carrier air wings, deployed with 5th generation fighters and operating with the most advanced weapons and technology currently fielded by the U.S. Navy.

The USS Abraham Lincoln, USS Carl Vinson, and USS George Washington are all conducting routine operations in the Pacific, in both the 7th Fleet and 3rd Fleet Areas of Responsibility.