US Navy’s Forward-Deployed Carrier Now In Waters Claimed By Beijing

Nimitz-class craft bearer USS George Washington (CVN 73) and Arleigh Burke-class destroyer USS Benfold (DDG 65) transit the Luzon Strait, July 22, 2026.

(U.S. Navy photograph by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Anthony Vilardi)

The United States Navy’s only forward-deployed nuclear-powered craft carrier, the USS George Washington (CVN-73), transited the Luzon Strait past week and is now operating successful the South China Sea. The sixth Nimitz-class supercarrier had antecedently been deployed to the Philippine Sea and participated successful the Valiant Shield associated exercises pinch the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force successful June.

CVN-73 began its 2026 deployment connected May 10, 2026, erstwhile it departed from its homeport astatine Yokosuka Naval Base, Japan. The patrol is expected to past astir six months, akin successful magnitude to the clip the bearer spent astatine oversea successful 2025, its first deployment since returning to Yokosuka aft completing its midlife refueling and analyzable overhaul.

The USS George Washington Carrier Strike Group, led by the nuclear-powered craft bearer pinch the embarked Carrier Air Wing 5 (CVW-5), besides includes the Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Robert Smalls (CG-62) and the Arleigh Burke-class AEGIS guided-missile destroyers USS Benfold (DDG-65) and USS Shoup (DDG-86).

“The USS George Washington Carrier Strike Group’s precocious capabilities, including the F-35, are upholding FREEDOM of Navigation and Overflight successful the South China Sea. We situation excessive maritime claims astir the world,” wrote U.S. Ambassador to the Philippines Lee Lipton successful a post connected X connected Sunday.

A U.S. Carrier In The Disputed Waters

CVN-73 is the first U.S. Navy supercarrier to beryllium deployed to the South China Sea since the USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) conducted regular operations successful the waters successful January, which included live-fire exercises and a replenishment-at-sea. CVN-72 was dispatched to the Middle East, leaving the U.S. without a bearer onslaught group successful the Western Pacific until the USS George Washington began its patrol successful May.

The U.S. Navy regularly deploys warships to the neutral waters of the South China Sea, moreover arsenic Beijing maintains it arsenic its sovereign territory.

The presence of CVN-73 to the region comes arsenic location person been heightened tensions betwixt China and the Philippines, which person overlapping claims. That included a July 20 conflict connected the Second Thomas Shoal involving Chinese Coast Guard officers physically striking a Philippine Navy SEAL connected the caput pinch a woody baton, which necessitated a aesculapian removal of the injured sailor, USNI News reported.

Just days later, the Chinese Coast Guard reportedly attacked the Philippine Coast Guard and Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources vessels pinch h2o cannons adjacent the Scarborough Shoal. Videos of the incident, recorded by the Philippine Coast Guard, person besides been shared connected societal media.

The U.S. has publically condemned China’s actions.

“We’re committed to supporting our pact partners, and evidently we’ve already done rather a bit,” U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said during an reside to the ASEAN Foreign Ministerial Meeting successful the Philippines past week.

“In fact, location was a U.S. Coast Guard alloy successful the region astatine the clip that this happened and really helped guidelines betwixt the 2 sides and allowed the individual who was injured to beryllium rescued and brought backmost for aesculapian treatment,” Rubio added. “We’re already here, we’re already present, we person a role, and we’re not going to wantonness our allies. We’ve made that abundantly clear.”

Multiple U.S. Coast Guard Sentinel-class cutters had antecedently been deployed to the Middle East, but are now operating successful Southeast Asia.

USS Theodore Roosevelt Concluding RIMPAC Exercises

Another United States Navy Nimitz-class craft carrier, the USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71), has been starring this month’s Rim of the Pacific 2026 associated exercises adjacent Hawaii, which kicked disconnected successful precocious June. CVN-71 departed its homeport of San Diego connected June 15, 2026. The bearer arrived successful Hawaii connected June 23, successful beforehand of RIMPAC maritime exercises, which will reason connected Friday.

The United States Navy typically doesn’t springiness precocious informing aliases penetration into wherever its craft carriers could beryllium deployed. However, pursuing the conclusion of the RIMPAC 2026 exercises successful precocious July, the USS Theodore Roosevelt is expected to proceed its scheduled deployment successful the Western Pacific and the broader Indo-Pacific, operating successful either the U.S. 3rd aliases 7th Fleet areas of operation.

Given the caller flare-up successful the South China Sea, the Department of Defense whitethorn intentionally support CVN-71’s operational attraction successful the Pacific region successful an effort to bolster American maritime presence, alternatively than dispatching different nuclear-powered supercarrier to the Middle East.

Currently, 2 different U.S. Navy Nimitz-class craft carriers are deployed to the U.S. 5th Fleet and U.S. Central Command’s area of responsibility, including the USS Abraham Lincoln and USS George H.W. Bush (CVN-77).

However, CVN-72 has now spent 249 days deployed since the bearer departed from Naval Base San Diego connected November 21, 2025. What is besides noteworthy is that the supercarrier has been astatine oversea for much than 228 days since it made a one-day sojourn to Naval Base Guam connected December 12, 2025.

The U.S. Navy whitethorn not want to person different bearer set a record for lengthy deployment arsenic it did earlier this twelvemonth pinch the USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78). The largest and newest supercarrier was deployed for 326 days earlier yet returning to Naval Station Norfolk successful May.