The US Navy announced on its official website on Saturday that Carrier Strike Group 1/CSG 1 and Carrier Air Wing 2/CVW 2 have begun routine operations in the South China Sea. USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) carier aircraft, Squadron (DESRON) destroyer, Arleigh Burke class USS Wayne E. Meyer (DDG 108) guided missile destroyer have participated the operation. The US Navy has reported that USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier has served 16 times in the South China Sea during its 35-year service. A few days after Beijing announced that the US should not “challenge the sovereignty of Pacific,” the operation was announced.
211216-N-QI061-1222 NAVAL STATION MAYPORT, Fla. (December 16, 2021) An MQ-4C Triton Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS), assigned to Unmanned Patrol Squadron 19 (VUP-19), sits on the flight line at Naval Station Mayport, Florida, Dec. 16, 2021. VUP-19, the Navy’s first Triton squadron, will continue to maintain and operate the aircraft off the East Coast to further develop the concept of operations and refine tactics, techniques, and procedures. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Nathan T. Beard/ Released)