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Newsweek
26-05-2025
- Politics
- Newsweek
Photos Show US and China's Aircraft Carriers Deployed to Pacific Waters
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Both the United States and China deployed their aircraft carriers in the Western Pacific Ocean on Sunday, as Washington and Beijing jostle for naval dominance in the region. Newsweek has reached out to the Chinese Defense Ministry for comment by email. Why It Matters The U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS George Washington returned to its home port in Japan—Yokosuka naval base near Tokyo—last November, after undergoing maintenance in Virginia since 2017, serving as one of the forward-deployed American warships to the allied country. Meanwhile, China is challenging the First Island Chain—formed by Japan, Taiwan, and the Philippines under the U.S. containment strategy meant to keep China's forces in check—with a fleet of more than 370 naval vessels, including two aircraft carriers in active service. The United States Navy aircraft carrier USS George Washington arrives at Yokosuka naval base in Japan on November 22, 2024. The United States Navy aircraft carrier USS George Washington arrives at Yokosuka naval base in Japan on November 22, 2024. Kyodo News via AP What To Know Photos shared on X, formerly Twitter, by a ship spotter in Japan on Sunday show the George Washington leaving its home port for sea trials. Its departure was also confirmed by a local government website that tracks visits by U.S. nuclear-powered naval vessels to Yokosuka. Lieutenant Commander Mark Langford, a public affairs officer aboard the George Washington, told Newsweek that the aircraft carrier was underway conducting "routine operations" in the U.S. Seventh Fleet area of operations, which covers the Western Pacific and Indian Oceans. This marked the first time the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier had left Yokosuka since its return seven months ago. The departure comes as aircraft assigned to the warship conduct field carrier landing practice on Iwo To, a Japanese island located 750 miles south of Tokyo. While the American aircraft carrier was underway in waters near Japan, the Chinese aircraft carrier CNS Liaoning was spotted operating 124 miles north of Kuba Island—part of Japan's southwestern Senkaku Islands—the Joint Staff of the Japanese Defense Ministry announced. The uninhabited Senkaku Islands, also known as the Diaoyu Islands in China, are claimed by Beijing, which has intensified its assertive coast guard patrols since Tokyo nationalized the islands in 2012. The U.S. ally has accused China of attempting to alter the status quo. The Liaoning was joined by four other Chinese warships in the East China Sea, according to the report, including Type 052D destroyers CNS Qiqihar and CNS Tangshan, as well as Type 054A frigates CNS Binzhou and CNS Anyang, which were identified by hull numbers. "Takeoff and landing of carrier-based fighter jets and helicopters was confirmed," said the Japan Joint Staff, adding that a ship and an aircraft assigned to the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force, as well as fighter jets of the Japanese air force, were deployed in response. What People Are Saying The U.S. Navy previously said: "George Washington is [Seventh] Fleet's premiere forward-deployed aircraft carrier, a long-standing symbol of the United States' commitment to maintaining a free and open Indo-Pacific region, and operates alongside allies and partners across the U.S. Navy's largest numbered fleet." Japan's defense white paper commented: "China has been rapidly building up military capabilities while intensifying its activities in the East China Sea, where the waters surrounding the Senkaku Islands are, as well as in the Pacific." The Chinese Defense Ministry previously responded: "Japan has been closely tracking, monitoring, and interfering with Chinese vessels and aircraft for a long time, jeopardizing the safety of Chinese vessels and aircraft and easily causing maritime and air security problems." What Happens Next The Chinese aircraft carrier CNS Liaoning departs Hong Kong on July 11, 2017. The Chinese aircraft carrier CNS Liaoning departs Hong Kong on July 11, 2017. Kin Cheung/AP Photo It remains to be seen whether the Chinese aircraft carrier will pass through the Miyako Strait from the East China Sea and head toward the Philippine Sea, thereby breaching the island chain.
Newsweek
30-04-2025
- Politics
- Newsweek
Map Shows Triple US Spy Flights Near China
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. A map by Newsweek shows three United States military aircraft, deployed at a front-line base in the Western Pacific Ocean, conducting spy flights near China on Tuesday. Newsweek has contacted the U.S. Pacific Air Forces for comment by email. The Chinese Defense Ministry did not immediately respond to a Newsweek written request for comment. Why It Matters The U.S. military has frequently deployed its spy aircraft to collect intelligence near the Chinese coastline, prompting strong objections from Beijing, which has demanded Washington put an end to what it called dangerous close-in reconnaissance around China's airspace and waters. The U.S. Pacific Air Forces previously told Newsweek it flies "hundreds of sorties" per day for training and integration missions, supporting a free and open Indo-Pacific. "We reserve the right to navigate under international norms," the Hawaii-headquartered command said. A United States Air Force RC-135S Cobra Ball reconnaissance aircraft descends toward the runway at Travis Air Force Base in California on May 23, 2020. A United States Air Force RC-135S Cobra Ball reconnaissance aircraft descends toward the runway at Travis Air Force Base in California on May 23, 2020. Senior Airman Amy Younger/U.S. Air Force Most of the American spy planes operating near China are deployed on the Japanese island of Okinawa, which is part of the First Island Chain, a U.S. containment strategy aimed at restricting China's military access to the Pacific Ocean using U.S.-aligned territories. What To Know According to data captured by the aircraft tracking service Flightradar24, a trio of U.S. Air Force reconnaissance aircraft, which included an RC-135S Cobra Ball, RC-135U Combat Sent, and RC-135W Rivet Joint, departed from Kadena Air Base on Okinawa. The Cobra Ball is designed for gathering data on ballistic missiles, a U.S. Air Force fact sheet reads. The Combat Sent can locate and identify military radar signals, while the Rivet Joint detects, identifies and geolocates signals throughout the electromagnetic spectrum. The U.S. spy planes were tracked operating over the contested South China Sea and the Luzon Strait between the northern Philippines and southern Taiwan, a Newsweek map shows. Both countries, which are U.S. allies and partners, are part of the First Island Chain. Communist China has threatened Taiwan with the use of force, claiming the island is part of its territory, despite never having ruled it. Meanwhile, Beijing has territorial disputes with Manila, which has signed a defense treaty with Washington, over the South China Sea. The triple American spy flights come as a U.S.-Philippine war game, code-named Balikatan 2025, is being held in the Southeast Asian country, while a Chinese naval strike group led by the aircraft carrier CNS Shandong transited the Luzon Strait twice last week. What People Are Saying The U.S. Air Force says: "The RC-135S, equipped with a sophisticated array of optical and electronic sensors, recording media, and communications equipment, is a national asset uniquely suited to provide America's leaders and defense community with vital information that cannot be obtained by any other source." Mao Ning, spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, previously said: "U.S. aircraft and warships frequently conduct close-in reconnaissance around China, which seriously threatens China's national security and undermines regional peace and stability. The Chinese side has repeatedly voiced our grave concerns. The U.S. needs to put an immediate end to such provocations." What Happens Next It is unclear whether the Chinese military dispatched fighter aircraft to intercept the three American spy planes. The U.S. military has previously accused a Chinese fighter jet of performing an "unnecessarily aggressive maneuver" near an American reconnaissance plane.
Miami Herald
25-04-2025
- Politics
- Miami Herald
US Bombers Show Up on Doorstep of Russia's Far East Flank
The United States has stationed a group of four supersonic B-1B bombers in northern Japan, which is located close to Russia's Far East, to "discourage aggression." The deployment, known as the Bomber Task Force mission, enables the U.S. bomber fleet to maintain proficiency, enhance readiness, and strengthen integration with other American or coalition forces, the U.S. Eighth Air Force said in response to a Newsweek email inquiry. Newsweek has also reached out to the Russian Defense Ministry for comment by email. Japan, a key American treaty ally in Northeast Asia, is part of the First Island Chain under a U.S. maritime containment strategy, seeking to restrict Russia's military access to the Pacific Ocean. The U.S. military has deployed multiple air, ground and naval units across Japan. The U.S. bomber force, consisting of the B-1B Lancer, B-2 Spirit, and B-52H Stratofortress, has been conducting Bomber Task Force missions through rotational deployments at American and allied air bases in the Pacific theater since 2018, strengthening deterrence in the region. The Russian military operates near Japan frequently, where the two countries are separated by the sea. From April 2024 to March 2025, the Japanese fighter jets were scrambled a total of 237 times against Russian aircraft that were approaching the nation's sovereign airspace. In a video released by the U.S. Pacific Air Forces on Wednesday, four B-1B bombers were seen parking at Misawa Air Base in Japan for the Bomber Task Force 25-2 mission on April 18. The first pair of B-1B bombers arrived at the air base, which is located in the northern part of the Japanese main island of Honshu, on April 15 from their home station at Dyess Air Force Base in Texas. This marked the first rotational Bomber Task Force mission in Japan. Three days later, the second pair of B-1B bombers assigned to Dyess Air Force Base were tracked flying off the Kamchatka Peninsula in the Russian Far East and heading toward Misawa Air Base. The U.S. Pacific Air Forces confirmed their deployment in Japan on Wednesday. "The ability to operate from multiple locations gives our bomber forces a level of flexibility and allows commanders' to remain unpredictable," the U.S. Eighth Air Force said, adding that each Bomber Task Force mission's length and the number of bombers can be changed. On Thursday, one of the deployed B-1B bombers participated in a large-scale training near the Japanese island of Okinawa with American and Japanese military aircraft, which aimed at strengthening their deterrence and response capabilities, the U.S. Pacific Air Forces said. The B-1B bomber can carry up to 75,000 pounds of bombs and missiles, which is the largest payload of conventional weapons in the U.S. Air Force inventory. It has a maximum speed of Mach 1.2, traveling faster than the speed of sound, with an intercontinental flight range. The U.S. Eighth Air Force said: "We can rapidly deploy and operate from traditional and non-traditional operating locations with varying levels of capacity and support. Any base our bombers do operate out of, allows us to test concepts and develop our tactics, techniques, and procedures to move faster, smarter, and more effectively." The U.S. Pacific Air Forces said: "Bomber Task Force deployments familiarize aircrew with air bases and operations in different Geographic Combatant Commands' areas of operations. This deployment to Japan showcases the United States' commitment to the Indo-Pacific region and our Allies and partners." It remains to be seen where the Japan-based B-1B bombers will conduct further training and exercises during this Bomber Task Force mission. Meanwhile, up to six B-2 bombers are deployed at Diego Garcia, an Indian Ocean island, amid rising tensions in the Middle East. Related Articles US Doubles Stealth Jets Presence Near ChinaUS Prepares South Korea To Face Nuclear Attack by NorthSatellite Image Shows Iran Reinforcing Nuclear ComplexChina Deploys Aircraft Carrier Group in Warning to US and Ally 2025 NEWSWEEK DIGITAL LLC.
Al Jazeera
04-03-2025
- Business
- Al Jazeera
Taiwan says it's ‘impossible' for US to retreat from Asia Pacific
Taiwan has said it's 'impossible' for the United States to retreat from the Asia Pacific, despite growing doubts about US President Donald Trump's willingness to uphold Washington's security commitments. 'We indeed noticed the fast-changing and tricky international situation and deeply understand that we can't just talk about values but not national interests,' Taiwanese Defense Minister Wellington Koo told reporters on Monday. 'So we must ask: Keeping the peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region, including the status quo in the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea, is that a core US national interest?' Koo said. 'I think it is impossible for the United States to retreat from the Indo-Pacific because it is its core national interest.' Koo also said Taiwan would continue to rely on 'deterrence and strength to achieve peace' with China. Koo's remarks came after Trump ordered a pause on all military aid to Ukraine in a dramatic escalation of his spat with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Until now, Washington has been Ukraine's top military backer in its war with Russia. While the US does not formally recognise Taiwan as a country, it is obligated to provide Taipei with the means to defend itself under the 1979 Taiwan Relations Act. Trump's willingness to overturn longstanding US relationships has raised fears that he could do the same in East Asia. Taiwan is a critical part of the US's 'First Island Chain' defence strategy, an imaginary line running from Malaysia to Japan that is envisaged to contain China from expanding into the Pacific. The self-ruled island also lies next to one of the most important waterways for international trade. In 2022, 88 percent of the world's largest ships by tonnage passed through the Taiwan Strait, according to Risk Intelligence, a Denmark-based corporate intelligence firm.
