The USS Nimitz and USS Ronald Reagan are now in the South China Sea for military exercises, a US Navy official confirms to Fox News.
“The purpose is to show an unequivocal signal to our partners and allies that we are committed to regional security and stability,” Rear Admiral George Wikoff told the Wall Street Journal, which was the first outlet to report on the exercises that would likely irritate Beijing.
The drills, to support a free and open Indo-Pacific and promote a rules-based international order, also included “24-hour flights that test the amazing capabilities of carrier-based aircraft,” he added.
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The South China Sea is where China faces smaller neighbors in multiple territorial disputes over islands, coral reefs and lagoons. The waters are an important shipping route for world trade and are rich in fish and potential oil and gas reserves.
US Navy aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan. (REUTERS / Yuyang Wang)
The Chinese People’s Liberation Army had been organizing exercises off the Paracel Islands in the disputed South China Sea since July 1, infuriating the Philippines, and Chinese maritime officials have banned all ships from sailing within the area of the maneuvers.
The aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68). (U.S. Navy photo. By 3rd Class Mass Communication Specialist John Philip Wagner Jr./ Posted)
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In another message to China, a Louisiana B-52 bomber flew a 28-hour mission to train with aircraft from the Reagan and Nimitz aircraft carriers in the South China Sea, according to the Air Force.
Elsewhere in the fleet, the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower has been at sea for more than 169 consecutive days since it left Norfolk in January. Other warships in the Ike strike group have also been underway for at least five months.
Lucas Tomlinson and The Associated Press of Fox News contributed to this report.
