US Stealth Jet Carrier Patrols South Pacific Amid China Rivalry
The USS America, an amphibious assault ship equipped with F-35B fighter jets, visited Sydney, Australia, alongside two other vessels, demonstrating the U.S. Navy's forward presence, the U.S. Navy said.
Newsweek reached out to the Chinese defense and foreign ministries via email for comment.
Australia is a U.S. ally in the South Pacific, where American naval vessels frequently make port calls for stopovers and training. These include visits by the nuclear-powered submarine USS Minnesota to Western Australia in February and the Northern Territory in March.
Meanwhile, China is expanding its military reach and presence in the Pacific, leveraging the world's largest navy by hull count. From mid-February to early March, three Chinese naval vessels conducted a high-profile circumnavigation of Australia in a show of naval strength.
The America arrived in Sydney on Saturday, followed by the amphibious transport dock ship USS San Diego and the amphibious dock landing ship USS Rushmore the next day. The ships conducted a scheduled visit as part of routine operations in the South Pacific, the U.S. Navy said.
This marks the first time the three amphibious warships, capable of projecting air and land power from sea to shore, have been moored simultaneously in Sydney on the Australian east coast, along with about 4,500 Navy sailors and Marines, according to the U.S. Navy.
This group of naval ships and its embarked 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit-a U.S. Marine Corps crisis response force-forms the America Amphibious Ready Group, which is capable of conducting combat operations as well as humanitarian assistance and disaster relief.
The F-35B fighter jet, designed for short takeoff and vertical landing on ships without full-length runways, offers "unparalleled stealth and operational flexibility," the U.S. Navy said.
Prior to their port calls, the U.S. amphibious warships conducted "integrated operations" in the Solomon Sea, located north of Australia, between Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands on June 9, demonstrating the joint combat power of the Navy and Marine Corps.
In addition to the America Amphibious Ready Group, USS Blue Ridge-a U.S. command and control ship-visited Sydney on May 26 during its deployment in the South Pacific. It was last seen on Saturday in Guam, the westernmost U.S. territory located in the Pacific.
U.S. Navy Captain John Baggett, commodore of the Amphibious Squadron 11 that oversees the America Amphibious Ready Group, in a press release on Sunday: "Our port visit allows us to deepen friendships with our Australian allies, which is instrumental to our two nations' forces operating together to maintain regional peace and stability."
Erika Olson, Chargé d'Affaires, U.S. Mission to Australia, in a press release on Saturday: "The U.S.-Australia alliance is a cornerstone of peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific. The arrival of America, USS San Diego and USS Rushmore marks the first time that the three-ship America Strike Group are together in Sydney."
The America will shift its home port from Sasebo, Japan, to San Diego, California, and will be replaced by its sister ship, USS Tripoli, as part of a scheduled rotation of U.S. forces in the Indo-Pacific region. It remains to be seen when the ship will depart for the U.S. West Coast.
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