US aircraft carriers enter South China Sea as Taiwan witnesses record Chinese incursion

In an attempt to assert their right to a free passage in the international waters, and to counter the Chinese belligerence, two US aircraft carrier groups led by the USS Ronald Reagan entered the disputed South China sea on Jan. 24, Monday. Carl Vinson and Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Groups kick-started the dual-carrier military operations in a show of military power to counter the increasing record Chinese aircraft incursions into Taiwan’s Air Defense Identification Zone [ADIZ]. The joint maritime exercise by the US Navy included enhanced maritime communication operations, anti-submarine warfare operations, air warfare operations, replenishments-at-sea, cross-deck flight operations, and maritime interdiction operations.

“While in the South China Sea, the strike group is conducting maritime security operations, which include flight operations with fixed and rotary-wing aircraft, maritime strike exercises, and coordinated tactical training between surface and air units,” the US Navy said in a statement. 

Integrated-at-sea operations & combat readiness

According to the US Navy statement, the drills were aimed at strengthening the maritime integrated-at-sea operations and combat readiness. The training was conducted in accordance with international law in international waters, the US Navy asserted, adding that ships and aircraft of the two carrier strike groups, that includes over 14,000 US Sailors and Marines, will conduct coordinated surface and air operations in a complex maritime environment in South China sea. Maritime exercise will demonstrate the US Indo-Pacific Command Joint Force’s ability to deliver a powerful maritime force, said the US Navy in a statement. The drill came shortly after Taiwan reported record 39 Chinese aircraft incursions— including 34 fighters, four electronic warfare jets, and one bomber that flew over the self-ruled island’s ADIZ. 

“Our ability to rapidly aggregate and work collectively alongside CSG 3, highlights the US Navy’s ability to deliver overwhelming maritime force, when called upon, to support a free and open Indo-Pacific region,”  Rear Adm. Dan Martin, commander, CSG 1 stressed in the US Navy’s statement.

“We are committed to ensuring the lawful use of the sea and free flow of commerce while deterring those who challenge the shared vision of a free and open Indo-Pacific now and into the long-term future.”

US Navy labelled the exercise as the “routine presence in the Indo-Pacific.” Since the US 7th Fleet region entered the hotly contested South China Sea in early September, it has conducted several maritime drills with naval forces of the partner countries. US Navy 7th Fleet units participated in multiple operations and exercises notably: MALABAR 2021; MPX 2021; and several multi-carrier, multi-nation operations to deter Beijing’s expansionist agenda. US Naval forces were involved in multiple allied carrier strike group operations in the Philippine Sealed by flagships USS Ronald Reagan and USS Carl Vinson, alongside the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force’s Hyuga-class helicopter destroyer JS Ise. US Navy also conducted joint military exercises with the United Kingdom’s carrier strike group led by HMS Queen Elizabeth in October 2021.