South China Sea: US strike group, Japanese warship in joint drills

[Gary]

• They will carry out flight operations, coordinated tactical training and maritime strike exercises, US Navy says
• It comes days after China and Russia wrapped up exercises that were seen as an effort to counter pressure from US and its allies

The USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier is part of a joint naval drill in the South China Sea. Photo: AP


A US aircraft carrier strike group is conducting joint exercises with a Japanese helicopter destroyer in the South China Sea, days after China and Russia wrapped up drills in the region.

The USS Carl Vinson and its strike group are in the contested waters for the exercises with the Japan Maritime Self-Defence Force’s JS Kaga. They will carry out flight operations, coordinated tactical training between surface and air units, and maritime strike exercises, the US Navy’s Seventh Fleet said in a statement on Monday.
It comes after China and Russia conducted joint patrols, an anti-submarine exercise and a first joint passage through the Tsugaru Strait in the Japanese archipelago, in what was seen as a move to counter pressure from the US and its allies.

US strike group, Japanese warship in joint South China Sea drills

They will carry out flight operations, coordinated tactical training and maritime strike exercises, US Navy says.

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