USS Gabrielle Giffords (LCS-10) conducts routine operations near the Panamanian flagged drill ship, West Capella on May 12, 2020. US Navy Photo
A standoff between China and Malaysia over potential natural gas and oil reserves beneath the South China Sea appears to be ending as research vessels from both nations moved away from each other following stepped-up U.S. Navy presence in the last several weeks.
USS Montgomery (LCS-8) conducts routine operations near Panamanian flagged drillship, West Capella, on May 7, 2020 in the South China Sea. US Navy Photo
KUALA LUMPUR — The U.S. Navy sent a pair of ships to patrol in the vicinity of a mineral rights dispute between Malaysia and China in the South China Sea for the second time in a month, U.S. officials told USNI News. Read More
USS Ronald Reagan (CVN-76) at Commander, Fleet Activities Yokosuka (CFAY), Japan on April 25, 2020. US Navy Photo
The U.S. aircraft carrier forward deployed to Japan is back at sea for trials after its annual repair period and ahead of its spring patrol in the Western Pacific, USNI News has learned. Read More
USS America (LHA-6), left, and the Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Bunker Hill (CG-52) transit the South China Sea on April 18, 2020. US Navy Photo
Beijing is downplaying the presence of U.S. warships operating near an international maritime dispute between China and Malaysia in the South China Sea, Chinese officials said during a Tuesday briefing with reporters. Read More
China’s drive to win political friends was stumbling over unmet trade expectations and mounting public debt, until the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on economies offered Beijing new possibilities in Europe, two foreign policy experts said Monday. Read More
A CH-53E Super Stallion helicopter assigned to 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron (VMM) 265 takes off from the flight deck of amphibious assault ship USS America (LHA-6) on April 18, 2020. US Navy Photo
KUALA LUMPUR — USS America (LHA-6) is steaming towards waters in the South China Sea where a Chinese government survey ship and its China Coast Guard escorts are in an international maritime dispute with Malaysia. Read More
A U.S. Navy F/A-18E Super Hornet, assigned to the “Tomcatters” of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 31, flies above the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71) Feb. 27, 2020. Navy photo
This post has been updated to clarify Vietnam’s foreign navy policy. One ship per foreign navy is allowed to visit annually.
USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71) is expected to pull into Da Nang, Vietnam, for a port visit this week, U.S Indo-Pacific commander Adm. Phil Davidson confirmed on Tuesday. Read More
A naval soldier of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) views through a pair of binoculars onboard China’s first aircraft carrier Liaoning as it visits a military harbor on the South China Sea. Xinhua Photo
China’s recent activities in the South China Sea, which include bullying Vietnam and Malaysia over ocean drilling and ramming Philippine fishing vessels near Scarborough Shoals, top the list of Asian security concerns, a panel of experts said last week. Read More
A Scan Eagle unmanned aerial vehicle is launched from USS Gunston Hall (LSD-44) in 2012. US Navy Photo
Developing updated unmanned scout planes is the best way for the U.S. to have eyes on China’s military actions in the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea, according to findings in a new Hudson Institute report.
Two U.S. Air Force B-1B Lancers assigned to the 9th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron, deployed from Dyess Air Force Base, Texas, fly a 10-hour mission from Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, through the South China Sea, operating with the U.S. Navy’s Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Sterett (DDG-104) on June 8, 2017. US Air Force Photo
KUALA LUMPUR — Though they don’t get as much attention as the Navy’s, U.S. Air Force has been conducting its own regular freedom of navigation flight operations in the South China Sea, Commander of Pacific Air Forces Gen. Charles Q. Brown told reporters on Friday. Read More
