U.S. Navy and Japan Maritime Self Defense Force (JMSDF), along with their escorts and air wings, conducted a massive photo exercise on January 22 in the Philippine Sea.
“Operating as part of U.S. Pacific Fleet, units assigned to USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) and USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) Carrier Strike Groups, USS America (LHA 6) and USS Essex (LHD 2) – Official Amphibious Ready Groups alongside Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force Hyuga-class helicopter destroyer JS Hyuga (DDH 181), are conducting training to preserve and protect a Free and Open Indo-Pacific,” the U.S. Pacific Fleet statement read.
The pictures released by the U.S. Navy displayed U.S. aircraft assigned to Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 2 and CVW 9 flying over the Philippine Sea as Nimitz-class aircraft carriers USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) and USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72), Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) Hyuga-class helicopter destroyer JS Hyuga (DDH 181), America-class amphibious assault ship USS America (LHA 6), Wasp-class amphibious assault ship USS Essex (LHD 2), Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruisers USS Mobile Bay (CG 53) and USS Lake Champlain (CG 57), Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers USS Spruance (DDG 111), USS Chafee (DDG 90) and USS Gridley (DDG 101).
The ships, operating as part of the U.S. Pacific Fleet units assigned to Carl Vinson and Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Groups, America and Essex Amphibious Ready Groups alongside JMSDF, are conducting training to preserve and protect a free and open Indo-Pacific region.
According to a U.S. 7th Fleet news release, the Carl Vinson Carrier Strike Group recently completed exercises with the Essex Amphibious Ready Group in the South China Sea.
The Carl Vinson CSG with Carrier Air Wing 2 embarked features the first F-35Cs and CMV-22B Ospreys to deploy together aboard an aircraft carrier.
Earlier this month, the U.S. Marine Corps successfully deployed F-35C Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 314 of 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing on USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) for the first time.
At present, about two dozen U.S. Navy and Marine F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighters are operating aboard Navy ships in the Indo-Pacific, amid heightened tensions between the U.S. and China, according to USNI News.
According to VMFA-314 commanding officer, Lt. Col. Brendan M. Walsh, “Our ability to operate the F-35C in the Pacific greatly increases the Marine Corps’ naval expeditionary force capabilities by providing us the capacity to employ the most advanced electronic warfare capabilities on any aircraft today in support of fleet operations. In addition, having this asset available greatly increases the Marine Corps’ ability to provide security to our allied nations and preserve a free and open Indo-Pacific.”
