On February 19th, it was reported that the United States was deploying five aircraft carriers to the western Pacific.
There are three carriers currently in the western Pacific: the Reagan CSG, the America ARG, and the Theodore Roosevelt CSG. The Vinison CSG is currently stationed in Guam. According to the U.S. Naval Institute’s Fleet and Marine Tracker, the U.S.S. Abraham Lincoln was seen departing its homeport of San Diego, California, for the western Pacific.
The U.S.S. George Washington is expected to deploy to the Pacific to replace the USS Ronald Reagan.
This is the first time that five contemporary U.S. carriers have operated in the Pacific.
This comes at a time of very high tensions in both the Middle East and the Indo-Pacific. Central to tensions in the Middle East is the terror group known as the Houthis, who have targeted ships in the Red Sea with missiles and drones. Tensions in the Indo-Pacific have been exasperated by increased Chinese aggression towards Taiwanese, Vietnamese, and Filipino assets and outposts in the region.
