US sends two aircraft carriers to seas east of the Philippines

Washington: The US Navy chief said on Monday he hoped the deployment of two aircraft carriers on a training mission in East Asia would deter any attempts to destabilise the region, where military tensions have risen amid China's growing assertiveness.

The US carriers John C. Stennis and Ronald Reagan began joint operations in seas east of the Philippines at the weekend in a show of strength ahead of an international court ruling expected soon on China's expansive territorial claims in the contested South China Sea.

Admiral John Richardson, the chief of US Naval Operations, told a Washington think tank it was not often the United States had two carrier strike groups in the same waters and it was a sign of US commitment to regional security.

A flight deck director signals a fighter jet to move on the deck of the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier the USS John C. Stennis. Photo: AP

He referred to a similar deployment of a second US carrier in the Mediterranean Sea last week, at a time when US officials are raising alarm over Russia's maritime expansion.

"Both here and in the Mediterranean, it's a signal to everyone in the region that we're committed, we're going to be there for our allies, to reassure them and for anyone who wants to destabilise that region," he told the Centre for a New American Security.

"And we hope that there's a deterrent message there as well."

Ashton Carter, US secretary of defence, has pledged the US will remain a power in East Asian seas for decades to come. Photo: Bloomberg

Richardson said China's large-scale land reclamation in the South China Sea and militarisation of artificial islands extended its potential ability to deny access to a region with precision missiles and radar, something that "demands a response."

"Our response would be to inject a lot of friction into that system. Every step of that way, we would look to make that much more difficult," Richardson said.

The US Pacific Command said the Stennis and the Ronald Reagan started their dual operations on Saturday, including air defence drills, sea surveillance, defensive air combat training and long-range strikes.

An F/A-18 Super Hornet lands aboard the USS John C Stennis during flight operations in the Philippine Sea. Photo: USNavy/PO 3rd C Matt Martino

A PACOM statement quoted Rear Admiral John D. Alexander, commander of the Ronald Reagan carrier group, as saying it was an opportunity to practice techniques needed "to prevail in modern naval operations."

"The US Navy has flown, sailed and operated throughout the Western Pacific in accordance with international law for decades, and will continue to do so," he said, referring to a series of freedom-of-navigation operations carried out by US naval ships in the region in recent month to challenge China's claims.

PACOM said the United States last conducted a dual carrier operation in the Western Pacific in 2014. Two carriers operated in the South China Sea and East China Sea in 2012. 

(Source :smh.com.au)

Newer Post Older Post