A U.S. Navy carrier strike group has resumed high-tempo flight operations in the disputed South China Sea, with aircraft from USS George Washington conducting launches and recoveries as regional tensions remain acute.
The U.S. Navy released images showing Capt Tim Waits, commanding officer of USS George Washington, landing a VFA-102 F/A-18F Super Hornet on the carrier’s deck while the ship operated in contested waters.
The carrier is the U.S. Navy’s forward-deployed flagship in the Indo-Pacific and one of Washington’s most visible tools for signalling presence in the face of China’s expansive maritime claims.
The U.S. Navy described the George Washington as “a long-standing symbol of the United States’ commitment to maintaining a free and open Indo-Pacific region, while operating alongside allies and partners across the U.S. Navy’s largest numbered fleet.”
The deployment comes as competing claims continue to collide across the South China Sea. China asserts sweeping sovereignty over most of the region, while Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan all maintain their own claims to islands and surrounding waters. Beijing’s land-reclamation, militarised outposts and persistent naval patrols have sharpened friction with neighbours. Washington maintains that it takes no position on sovereignty but regularly conducts what it calls freedom of navigation operations near disputed features.
USS George Washington, a Nimitz-class nuclear-powered carrier displacing more than 100,000 tonnes, typically embarks around 90 aircraft and a combined ship’s company and air wing exceeding 6,000 personnel. Powered by two A4W nuclear reactors driving four shafts at over 30 knots.
At present this forward deployment stance is an important deterrent.. but at some points between 2027 and 2035 it is very likely China will decide to go kinetic against Taiwan ( probably closer to 2035) and when it does that it’s going to make a judgment on if it thinks the US will get involved and if it decides it’s inevitable the US will be involved any USN forces in the China seas that are not both profoundly lucky and very skilled at running like the wind will be dead.. this will be both a tragedy and a massive issue for the US.. because that balance of power between the PLAN and USN in 2035 is going to be all on the side of the PLAN and if the PLAN can day one kill a couple of carrier battle groups the USN would be hard pressed to even contest sea control around the second island chain.. at some point if the is still seen as being 100% ready to defend Taiwan it’s going to be to risky to essentially leave a couple of carrier battle groups to die for nothing.