China is building a string of artificial islands to fortify its position in the disputed South China

[Hindustani78]

Good to see the Malaysians in beautiful formation.

South East Asian countries are uniting because of the situation in South China Sea.


Reuters / Tuesday, May 12, 2015
The alleged on-going land reclamation of China at Subi reef is seen from Pagasa island (Thitu Island) in the Spratlys group of islands in the South China Sea, west of Palawan, Philippines, May 11, 2015. REUTERS/Ritchie B. Tongo/Pool

 

[BoQ77]

Many countries challenge China claim on entire of SCS.
Japan Navy and Philippines : joint exercise with at least two destroyers from Japan.
USA and Malaysia : joint exercise with presence of aircraft carrier Carl Vinson and a couple of Aegis destroyer
Singapore and Indonesia, Malaysia : proposal for joint patrolling
Australia : warning China on the ADIZ in SCS.

 

[BoQ77]

SOUTH CHINA SEA (May 12, 2015) Naval Aircrewman (Tactical Helicopter) 2nd Class Ian Carpenito, assigned to Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron (HSM) 35, observes the littoral combat ship USS Fort Worth (LCS 3) as it conducts routine patrols in international waters.

 

[Hindustani78]

China Navy warns US spy plane eight times to leave disputed South China Sea | Zee News
Last Updated: Friday, May 22, 2015 - 12:57

Beijing: The Chinese Navy warned a US surveillance plane flying over artificial islands that Beijing is creating in the disputed South China Sea to leave the area eight times, according to CNN, which was on board the flight on Wednesday.

At one stage, after the American pilots responded by saying the plane was flying through international airspace, a Chinese radio operator said with exasperation: "This is the Chinese navy ... You go!"

The P8-A Poseidon, the US military`s most advanced surveillance aircraft, flew at 15,000 feet (4,500 metres) at its lowest point, CNN said.


The incident, along with recent Chinese warnings to Philippine military aircraft to leave areas around the Spratly archipelago in the South China Sea, suggests Beijing is trying to enforce a military exclusion zone above its new islands.

Some security experts worry about the risk of confrontation, especially after a US official said last week that the Pentagon was considering sending military aircraft and ships to assert freedom of navigation around the Chinese-made islands.

A spokeswoman for the US State Department said US planes operated "in accordance with international law in disputed areas of the South China Sea" and would continue to do so "consistent with the rights freedoms and lawful uses of the sea."

Marie Harf said verbal warnings had been issued by the Chinese but added that she would not describe the incident as a "confrontation."

A spokesman for China`s Foreign Ministry said he was not aware of the incident.

"China has the right to engage in monitoring in the relevant airspace and waters to protect the country`s sovereignty and prevent accidents at sea," ministry spokesman Hong Lei said in a regular briefing. "We hope the relevant country can earnestly respect China`s sovereignty in the South China Sea."

Footage taken by the P8-A Poseidon and aired by CNN showed a hive of construction and dredging activity on the new islands the plane flew over, as well as Chinese navy ships nearby.

CNN said it was the first time the Pentagon had declassified video of China`s building activity and audio of challenges to a US aircraft.

"We were just challenged 30 minutes ago and the challenge came from the Chinese navy," Captain Mike Parker, commander of US surveillance aircraft deployed to Asia, told CNN aboard the flight.

"I`m highly confident it came from ashore, this facility here," Parker said, pointing to an early warning radar station on Fiery Cross Reef.

Military facilities on Fiery Cross Reef, including a 3,000-metre (10,000-foot) runway, could be operational by year`s end, one US commander recently told Reuters.

Asia`s rising power China claims sovereignty over most of the South China Sea, through which $5 trillion in ship-borne trade passes every year. The Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Taiwan and Brunei also have overlapping claims.

Foreign Minister Wang Yi last week asserted Beijing`s sovereignty to reclaim the reefs, saying China`s determination to protect its interests was "as hard as a rock".

China has also said it had every right to set up an Air Defence Identification Zone (ADIZ) in the South China Sea but that current conditions did not warrant one.

ADIZs are used by some nations to extend control beyond national borders, requiring civilian and military aircraft to identify themselves or face possible military interception.

During the P8-A mission, the pilot of a Delta Air Lines flight in the area spoke on the same frequency after hearing the Chinese challenges, and identified himself as commercial. The Chinese voice reassured the pilot and the Delta flight went on its way, CNN said.

Reuters

 

[Hindustani78]

US Navy releases video of Chinese military installations on disputed South China Sea islands - Business Insider
May 22, 2015, 9:14 AM

The U.S. Navy released video Thursday taken aboard the P-8A Poseidon surveillance plane scouting China’s artificial island outposts in the Spratly Islands.

The Chinese navy purportedly warned the surveillance plane at least eight times to leave the area, according to a CNN crew who were allowed to embed on the aircraft.

CNES 2015, Distribution Airbus DS/IHS: 1535921

The video contained footage of the P-8A’s crew, its cockpit, Navy personnel as they performed their various functions throughout the mission and a view of the Chinese military outposts the plane was instructed to scout.
It included close-up looks at the log that recorded China’s attempts to warn the plane to abandon its mission, as well as a U.S. Navy member’s breakdown of military installations on Fiery Cross Reef, one of China’s artificial islands.

US Navy / Youtube

“We’re at Fiery Cross Reef, which is part of the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea.

Currently, what we’re looking at is some construction on a landing strip. … They’ve built hundreds of meters in the last couple of months,” the unidentified U.S. Navy member said in footage obtained by the Washington Post.

The surveillance plane was tasked with reconnaissance of three of China’s artificial islands in the South China Sea, CNN reported Wednesday. China has built a series of such structures since 2013 to press its claim on the Spratly Islands. Aside from China, Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, Taiwan and Brunei have all made claims on the island chain as part of an ongoing territorial dispute.

The United States identifies the area around the Spratly Islands as international waters, the Wall Street Journal noted.

“This is the Chinese navy ... This is the Chinese navy … Please go away … to avoid misunderstanding,” the Chinese navy warned. Upon hearing the warning, the U.S. Navy crew aboard the surveillance plane said it was operating over international waters.

China has used sand dredged from the ocean floor to add thousands of acres of surface land to its artificial islands since 2013, CNN reported. Despite U.S. objections, Fiery Cross Reef now houses a military barracks and a runway that can accommodate any Chinese military aircraft.

 

[Hindustani78]

China state paper warns of war over South China Sea unless US backs down | Zee News
Monday, May 25, 2015 - 11:58
Beijing: A Chinese state-owned newspaper said on Monday that "war is inevitable" between China and the United States over the South China Sea unless Washington stops demanding Beijing halt the building of artificial islands in the disputed waterway.


The Global Times, an influential nationalist tabloid owned by the ruling Communist Party`s official newspaper the People`s Daily, said in an editorial that China was determined to finish its construction work, calling it the country`s "most important bottom line".

The editorial comes amid rising tensions over China`s land reclamation in the Spratly archipelago of the South China Sea. China last week said it was "strongly dissatisfied" after a U.S. spy plane flew over areas near the reefs, with both sides accusing each other of stoking instability.

China should "carefully prepare" for the possibility of a conflict with the United States, the newspaper said.

"If the United States` bottomline is that China has to halt its activities, then a U.S.-China war is inevitable in the South China Sea," the newspaper said. "The intensity of the conflict will be higher than what people usually think of as `friction`."

Such commentaries are not official policy statements, but are sometimes read as a reflection of government thinking. The Global Times is among China`s most nationalist newspapers.

China claims most of the South China Sea, through which $5 trillion in ship-borne trade passes every year. The Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Taiwan and Brunei also have overlapping claims.

The United States has routinely called on all claimants to halt reclamation in the Spratlys, but accuses China of carrying out work on a scale that far outstrips any other country.

Washington has also vowed to keep up air and sea patrols in the South China Sea amid concerns among security experts that China might impose air and sea restrictions in the Spratlys once it completes work on its seven artificial islands.

China has said it had every right to set up an Air Defence Identification Zone in the South China Sea but that current conditions did not warrant one.

The Global Times said "risks are still under control" if Washington takes into account China`s peaceful rise.

"We do not want a military conflict with the United States, but if it were to come, we have to accept it," the newspaper said.

Reuters

 

[Hindustani78]

Aquino: Philippines to fly usual routes over disputed reefs
May 25, 2015
MANILA, Philippines — Philippine aircraft will continue to fly their usual routes over disputed reefs in the South China Sea, the country's president said Monday, defying China's challenges to its planes and those of the United States.

President Benigno Aquino III told reporters there is no declared air defense identification zone over the area and "we will still fly the routes that we fly based on international law."

"We will still exercise our rights over our exclusive economic zone," he said, adding that the "bottom line is, it has to be clear, we will defend our rights to the best of our abilities."

Aquino pointed to the disparity in the military strength of China and the Philippines, saying China should not bully a smaller country because it would hurt its image as it tries to create goodwill with its trading partners.

The Philippines is pursuing international arbitration and diplomatic efforts to try to resolve the territorial dispute with China.

When asked about what coordination the Philippines is having with the United States, a key military ally, to address the problem, Aquino said the two countries are helping each other but that he could not reveal details.

Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin told reporters he will meet with U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter at the U.S. Pacific Command in Hawaii on Wednesday to discuss concerns over China's apparent attempt to impose an ADIZ in the area.

"We will ask the extent of help they can give us ... because right now we are the one being bullied," he said. "Let us see what assistance they can give us to more or less keep us safe from harassment."

Gazmin said Filipino and Japanese defense officials were also discussing the possibility of transferring Japanese military equipment to the Philippines, which has one of the most ill-equipped armed forces in the region.

China said Thursday that it is entitled to keep watch over airspace and seas surrounding artificial islands it created in the South China Sea, following an exchange in which its navy warned off a U.S. surveillance plane. The United States said that its own aerial patrolling was in accordance with international law and that it will seek to preserve the ability of not just the U.S. but all countries to exercise freedom of navigation and flight.

Philippine military officials have said China has challenged its air patrols at least six times since last month, with a recording asking the planes to leave the Chinese military area to avoid misunderstanding.

China's construction has intensified frictions in the South China Sea, where Beijing's expansive claims to the waters and reefs overlap with those of the Philippines, Taiwan, Brunei, Malaysia and Vietnam.

 

[Hindustani78]

Japan just joined the US and Australia in an 'unprecedented' collaboration amid China tensions - Business Insider
SYDNEY (Reuters) - Japan will join a major U.S.-Australian military exercise for the first time in a sign of growing security links between the three countries as tensions fester over China's island building in the South China Sea.

While only 40 Japanese officers and soldiers will take part in drills involving 30,000 U.S. and Australian troops in early July, experts said the move showed how Washington wanted to foster cooperation among its security allies in Asia.

The Talisman Sabre biennial exercises, to be held in locations around Australia, will encompass maritime operations, amphibious landings, special forces tactics and urban warfare.

"I think the U.S. is trying to get its allies to do more," said Euan Graham, director of the International Security Program at the Lowy Institute in Sydney.

"There is an obvious symmetry between Japan as the upper anchor of the Western Pacific alliance and ... Australia as the southern anchor."

All three nations have said they were concerned about freedom of movement through the seas and air in the disputed South China Sea, where China is creating seven artificial islands in the Spratly archipelago, a vital shipping corridor.

Some security experts say China might impose air and sea restrictions in the Spratlys once it completes construction work that includes at least one military airstrip. China has said it had every right to set up an Air Defence Identification Zone but that current conditions did not warrant one.

US NavyThe aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68), the guided-missile cruiser USS Chosin (CG 65), the guided-missile destroyers USS Sampson (DDG 102) and USS Pinkney (DDG 91), and the guided-missile frigate USS Rentz (FFG 46) operate in formation in the South China Sea.

China claims most of the South China Sea. The Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Taiwan and Brunei also have overlapping claims.

The Japanese personnel will embed with U.S. forces while 500 New Zealand troops will join Australian contingents, according to the Australian Defence Force website.

Japanese Defense Minister Gen Nakatani rebuffed suggestions the exercises were aimed at China, telling Reuters that Japan simply wanted to improve military cooperation with the United States and Australia.

"Unprecedented trilateral cooperation"
Security cooperation between Canberra and Tokyo has already flourished under Prime Ministers Tony Abbott and Shinzo Abe, with Japan seen as the frontrunner to win a contract to supply next generation submarines to the Australian navy. U.S. commanders have publicly supported such a tie-up.

U.S. Assistant Secretary of Defense David Shear highlighted Washington's goal of boosting cooperation between its allies in testimony to the U.S. Senate this month.

"To expand the reach of these alliances, we are embarking on unprecedented trilateral cooperation," he said.

"In some cases this cooperation directly benefits our work on maritime security. For example, we're cooperating trilaterally with Japan and Australia to strengthen maritime security in Southeast Asia and explore defense technology cooperation."

CNES 2015, Distribution Airbus DS/IHS: 1535921

Winning the submarine deal would be a big boost for Japan's defense industry and potentially pave the way for the sale of advanced Japanese weapons to countries such as the Philippines and Vietnam, which are at loggerheads with Beijing over the South China Sea, experts have said.

Australia also hopes to sign a deal with Japan this year that would smooth the passage of military personnel into one another's country for joint exercises, the Sydney Morning Herald newspaper reported over the weekend.

Deals such as this would likely become more common as Abbott and Abe push to cement the security ties they have fostered before they leave office, said the Lowy Institute's Graham.

"There will be more of this, and it's important in the next couple of years that the relationship beds in because otherwise ... you could quickly find it isn't a self-sustaining relationship," he said.

(Editing by Dean Yates)

So will from now Japanese military will be deployed aboard on combat mode ?

 

[Hindustani78]

China to extend military reach, build lighthouses in disputed waters| Reuters

Tue May 26, 2015 7:31am EDT
China outlined a strategy to boost its naval reach on Tuesday and held a groundbreaking ceremony for two lighthouses in disputed waters, developments likely to escalate tensions in a region already jittery about Beijing's maritime ambitions.

In a policy document issued by the State Council, the Communist-ruled country's cabinet, China vowed to increase its "open seas protection", switching from air defense to both offense and defense, and criticized neighbors who take "provocative actions" on its reefs and islands.

China has been taking an increasingly assertive posture over recent years in the disputed waters of the South China Sea, where Beijing has engaged in land reclamation in the Spratly archipelago.

China, which claims most of the South China Sea, criticized Washington after a U.S. spy plane flew over areas near the reefs last week, with both sides accusing each other of stoking instability.

It has overlapping claims with the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Taiwan and Brunei in the South China Sea, through which $5 trillion in ship-borne trade passes every year.

Defence Ministry spokesman Yang Yujun said China's reclamation in the Spratlys was comparable with construction of homes and roads on the mainland.

"From the perspective of sovereignty, there is absolutely no difference," he told reporters.

Some countries with "ulterior motives" had unfairly characterized China's military presence and sensationalized the issue, he said. Surveillance in the region was increasingly common and China would continue to take "necessary measures" to respond.

"Some external countries are also busy meddling in South China Sea affairs. A tiny few maintain constant close-in air and sea surveillance and reconnaissance against China," the strategy paper said in a thinly veiled reference to the United States.

OFFENSE AND DEFENSE

It said China's air force would shift its focus from territorial air defense to both offense and defense, and building airspace defenses with stronger military capabilities.

China also hosted a groundbreaking ceremony for the building of two lighthouses in the South China Sea, broadcast on state television, defying calls from the United States and the Philippines for a freeze on such activity.

The construction was to help maritime search and rescue, disaster relief, environmental protection and navigational security, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said.

Wu Shicun, president of the government-affiliated National Institute for South China Sea Studies, said the lighthouses were among the first of planned civilian-use facilities in the region.

"The reefs are located near an important commercial shipping route, so there will be continued development to maintain the security of those shipping lanes," he said in an interview with Reuters.

The People's Liberation Army's nuclear force, known as the Second Artillery Corps, would also strengthen its capabilities for deterrence and nuclear counterattack as well as medium- and long-range precision strikes, the paper said.

"China faces many complex maritime security threats and challenges and requires a navy that can carry out multifaceted missions and protect its sovereignty," Wang Jin, a senior colonel, told reporters.

The paper also cited "grave threats" to China's cyber infrastructure, adding that China would hasten development of a cyber military force.

Self-ruled Taiwan, which China considers a renegade province, called on all South China Sea claimants to shelve their disagreements to enable talks on sharing resources before a conflict breaks out.

Japan meanwhile will join a major U.S.-Australian military exercise for the first time in a sign of growing security links between the three countries as tensions fester over China's moves.

All three nations have said they are concerned about freedom of movement through the South China Sea and air space.

China's Ministry of Defence said on Tuesday it had carried out military training for party cadres from border and coastal areas on border defense, among other topics.

The trainees, who visited military combat units, developed a better understanding of the "national security situation", said a statement on the ministry's website.

(Additional reporting by Sui-Lee Wee and Michael Martina in Beijing and Matt Siegel in Sydney; Editing by Nick Macfie)

 

[Pangu]

Very nice work done by our guys! Can't wait to see our aircraft deployed on those airstrips.

 

[Hindustani78]

WATERS TO THE SOUTH OF THE KOREAN PENINSULA (May 25, 2015) The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Lassen (DDG 82), front, conducts a trilateral naval exercise with the Turkish navy frigate FTCD Gediz (F-495) and the Republic of Korea navy destroyers Seoae Ryu Seong-ryong (DDG 993) and Gang Gam-chan (DDH 979) in support of theater security operations. Lassen is on routine patrol in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations in support of security and stability in the Indo-Asia-Pacific region. (U.S. Navy photo by Naval Air Crewman (Helicopter) 2nd Class Evan Kenny/Released)

 

[Hindustani78]

Wed May 27, 2015 3:59am EDT
Related: World, Japan
Japan, Philippines to deepen ties as China asserts sea claims| Reuters

Philippines' President Benigno Aquino adjusts his eyeglasses while giving a nationwide televise statement on the Comprehensive Agreement on the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law at the presidential palace in Manila March 27, 2015.
Reuters/Romeo Ranoco

Japan and the Philippines are set to bolster security ties when President Benigno Aquino visits Tokyo next week, the latest move by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to beef up cooperation with Southeast Asian nations facing China's growing naval ambitions.

The two sides will likely agree to start talks on a framework for the transfer of defense equipment and technology and to discuss a possible pact on the status of Japanese military personnel visiting the Philippines to facilitate joint training and exercises, officials involved in the talks said.

Aquino's June 2-5 trip to Japan follows Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak's visit this week, during which the two leaders agreed to upgrade ties to a strategic partnership and to cooperate in defense equipment.

Philippine Defence Secretary Voltaire Gazmin will accompany Aquino.

The Philippines has already handed Japan a list of Japanese defense equipment it wants to acquire such as P-3C maritime surveillance aircraft that Tokyo is replacing with newer planes, a senior Philippine naval officer told Reuters.

"We have submitted a wish list to Japan, what equipment the Philippines needs urgently to boost our maritime security" in the South China Sea, he said, adding Manila was in discussion with Tokyo over a package of soft loans to purchase the kit.

Under Abe's leadership, Japan last year eased its restrictions on arms exports, and is now seen as the frontrunner to win a contract to supply next generation submarines to Australia.

Tokyo already has agreements on defense equipment and technology transfers with the United States, Britain, Australia and France and a similar pact with Manila is needed to allow it to export to the Philippines.

China claims sovereignty over most of the South China Sea, through which much of Japan's ship-borne trade passes. The Philippines, Malaysia, Vietnam, Taiwan and Brunei have overlapping claims.

Beijing on Tuesday outlined a strategy to boost its naval reach amid growing criticism from Washington and some Asian countries over its rapid creation of artificial islands in the Spratly archipelago of the South China Sea.

Abe's defense minister, Gen Nakatani, has repeatedly said the situation in the South China Sea is having a bigger impact on Japan's security and that Tokyo needs to consider how to respond.

Bills being debated in Japan's parliament would ease the pacifist constitution's constraints on the military's overseas activities, raising the chance that Tokyo could get dragged into action in the South China Sea in support of U.S. forces.

Japan itself is embroiled in a row with China over a group of East China Sea islets, with patrol ships and fighter jets routinely shadowing each other near the uninhabited islands.

The Philippine coastguard hopes to get by year-end the first of 10 vessels Japan is building for it while Japan is also supplying used patrol boats to Vietnam's coastguard.

In addition, Tokyo and Manila held their first joint naval exercises in the South China Sea this month.

(Additional reporting by Nobuhiro Kubo in TOKYO; Editing by Linda Sieg and Dean Yates)

 

[sword1947]

Wed May 27, 2015 3:59am EDT
Related: World, Japan
Japan, Philippines to deepen ties as China asserts sea claims| Reuters

Philippines' President Benigno Aquino adjusts his eyeglasses while giving a nationwide televise statement on the Comprehensive Agreement on the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law at the presidential palace in Manila March 27, 2015.
Reuters/Romeo Ranoco

Japan and the Philippines are set to bolster security ties when President Benigno Aquino visits Tokyo next week, the latest move by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to beef up cooperation with Southeast Asian nations facing China's growing naval ambitions.

The two sides will likely agree to start talks on a framework for the transfer of defense equipment and technology and to discuss a possible pact on the status of Japanese military personnel visiting the Philippines to facilitate joint training and exercises, officials involved in the talks said.

Aquino's June 2-5 trip to Japan follows Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak's visit this week, during which the two leaders agreed to upgrade ties to a strategic partnership and to cooperate in defense equipment.

Philippine Defence Secretary Voltaire Gazmin will accompany Aquino.

The Philippines has already handed Japan a list of Japanese defense equipment it wants to acquire such as P-3C maritime surveillance aircraft that Tokyo is replacing with newer planes, a senior Philippine naval officer told Reuters.

"We have submitted a wish list to Japan, what equipment the Philippines needs urgently to boost our maritime security" in the South China Sea, he said, adding Manila was in discussion with Tokyo over a package of soft loans to purchase the kit.

Under Abe's leadership, Japan last year eased its restrictions on arms exports, and is now seen as the frontrunner to win a contract to supply next generation submarines to Australia.

Tokyo already has agreements on defense equipment and technology transfers with the United States, Britain, Australia and France and a similar pact with Manila is needed to allow it to export to the Philippines.

China claims sovereignty over most of the South China Sea, through which much of Japan's ship-borne trade passes. The Philippines, Malaysia, Vietnam, Taiwan and Brunei have overlapping claims.

Beijing on Tuesday outlined a strategy to boost its naval reach amid growing criticism from Washington and some Asian countries over its rapid creation of artificial islands in the Spratly archipelago of the South China Sea.

Abe's defense minister, Gen Nakatani, has repeatedly said the situation in the South China Sea is having a bigger impact on Japan's security and that Tokyo needs to consider how to respond.

Bills being debated in Japan's parliament would ease the pacifist constitution's constraints on the military's overseas activities, raising the chance that Tokyo could get dragged into action in the South China Sea in support of U.S. forces.

Japan itself is embroiled in a row with China over a group of East China Sea islets, with patrol ships and fighter jets routinely shadowing each other near the uninhabited islands.

The Philippine coastguard hopes to get by year-end the first of 10 vessels Japan is building for it while Japan is also supplying used patrol boats to Vietnam's coastguard.

In addition, Tokyo and Manila held their first joint naval exercises in the South China Sea this month.

(Additional reporting by Nobuhiro Kubo in TOKYO; Editing by Linda Sieg and Dean Yates)

but construction is still on going

 

[cirr]

 

[Hindustani78]

PHILIPPINE SEA (May 25, 2015) The Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Antietam (CG 54), left, and the Military Sealift Command dry cargo and ammunition ship USNS Washington Chambers (T-AKE 11) transit alongside the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73). George Washington and its embarked air wing, Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 5, are on patrol in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of responsibility supporting security and stability in the Indo-Asia-Pacific region. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Bryan Mai/Released)

PHILIPPINE SEA (May 25, 2015) Seaman Ricky Silva, from New Orleans, acts as the forward lookout during a replenishment-at-sea between the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73) and the Military Sealift Command fleet replenishment oiler USNS Rappahannock (T-AO 204). George Washington and its embarked air wing, Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 5, are on patrol in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of responsibility supporting security and stability in the Indo-Asia-Pacific region. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Bryan Mai/Released)

WATERS SOUTH OF JAPAN (May 22, 2015) The Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73) patrols the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations in support of security and stability in the Indo-Asia-Pacific region. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Alonzo M. Archer/Released)

WATERS SOUTH OF JAPAN (May 23, 2015) An F/A-18E Super Hornet attached to the Eagles of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 115 launches from the flight deck of the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73). George Washington and its embarked air wing, Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 5, are on patrol in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of responsibility supporting security and stability in the Indo-Asia-Pacific region. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Chris Cavagnaro/Released)

WATERS SOUTH OF JAPAN (May 23, 2015) Sailors practice firefighting techniques in the hangar bay of the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73) during a mass casualty drill. George Washington and its embarked air wing, Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 5, are on patrol in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of responsibility supporting security and stability in the Indo-Asia-Pacific region. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Clemente A. Lynch/Released)

WATERS SOUTH OF JAPAN (May 23, 2015) Lt. Vincent Gomes, left, and Lt. Joshua Aisen, arresting gear officers aboard the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73), gives the pilot of an F/A-18E Super Hornet attached to the Dambusters of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 195 clearance to land on the flight deck of the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73). George Washington and its embarked air wing, Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 5, are on patrol in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of responsibility supporting security and stability in the Indo-Asia-Pacific region. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Chris Cavagnaro/Released)

WATERS SOUTH OF JAPAN (May 23, 2015) Sailors signal the pilot of a C-2A Greyhound from the Providers of Fleet Logistics Support Squadron (VRC) 30, Detachment 5 to perform engine shutdown procedures on the flight deck of the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73). George Washington and its embarked air wing, Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 5, are on patrol in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of responsibility supporting security and stability in the Indo-Asia-Pacific region. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Bryan Mai/Released)