US Indo-Pacific Command Conducts Dual Carrier Operations in the South China Sea

Carl Vinson and Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Groups began dual carrier operations in the South China Sea on January 23, 2022. The U.S. Navy’s Carrier Strike Group 1, led by the flagship USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70), and Carrier Strike Group 3, headed by the USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72), joined forces to conduct joint operations aimed at enhancing maritime communication operations, anti-submarine warfare operations, air warfare operations, readiness-at-sea, cross-deck flight operations, and maritime interdiction operations to strengthen maritime force.

“Our ability to rapidly aggregate and work collectively alongside CSG 3 highlights the U.S. Navy’s ability to deliver overwhelming maritime force when called upon, to support the shared vision of a free and open Indo-Pacific region,” said Rear Adm. Dan Martin, Commander of CSG 1. “Training with Carrier Strike Group 3 in the South China Sea is a tremendously valuable opportunity for us to improve our combat readiness, ensure our allies and partners, and demonstrate our resolve in the long-term future.”

“Training with Carrier Strike Group 1 in the South China Sea is a tremendously valuable opportunity for us to improve our combat readiness, ensure our allies and partners, and demonstrate our resolve in the long-term future,” said Rear Adm. J.T. Anderson, Commander of Carrier Strike Group 3. “Operations like these allow us to improve our combat capabilities, reassure our allies, and partners, and demonstrate our resolve as a Navy to ensure regional stability and counter malign influence.”

The Nimitz-class aircraft carriers USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) and USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) embarked on a journey through the Philippine Sea on January 22, 2022. Operating as part of the U.S. Pacific Fleet, these units were assigned to Carl Vinson and Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Groups, alongside American and allied naval forces. Captaincy, maritime engagements, and operations in the South China Sea are part of the U.S. Navy’s routine presence in the Indo-Pacific. Having been deployed in the U.S. 7th Fleet region in early September, Carrier Strike Group 1 (CSG 1) has actively participated in various joint exercises and multinational operations, including MALABAR 2021, MPX 2021, and several other exercises involving multiple allied carrier strike groups operating in the Philippine Sea, led by flagships USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) and USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70). In addition, CSG 1 took part in ANNUALEX 2021, another exercise in the Philippine Sea that featured international naval forces, including the Royal Australian Navy (RAN), Royal Canadian Navy (RCN), German Navy (GMN), Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF), and the U.S. Navy. These collective readiness and maritime superiority efforts underline the commitment to regional security and stability.

The VINCSG, or Vinson Carrier Strike Group, is a formidable naval force composed of various vessels. It includes the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70), the Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Lake Champlain (CG 57), the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers USS Stockdale (DDG 106) and USS Chafee (DDG 90) of Destroyer Squadron 1 (DESRON 1), the Henry J. Kaiser-class fleet replenishment ship USNS Yukon (T-AO 202), and the Lewis and Clark-class dry cargo and ammunition ships USNS Washington Chambers (T-AKE 11).

In addition to these surface vessels, the strike group also comprises the embarked Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 2. CVW-2 consists of an F-35C squadron, the “Argonauts” of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 147, three F/A-18E/F Super Hornet squadrons, namely the “Bounty Hunters” of VFA-2, the “Stingers” of VFA-113, and the “Golden Dragons” of VFA-192. The group also includes the “Gauntlets” of Electronic Attack Squadron (VAQ) 136, operating the EA-18G Growler, the “Black Eagles” of Airborne Command and Control Squadron (VAW) 113, equipped with the E-2D Advanced Hawkeye, the “Titans” of Fleet Logistics Multi-Mission Squadron (VRM) 30, flying the CMV-22B Osprey, the “Black Knights” of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 4, utilizing the MH-60S Sea Hawk, and the “Blue Hawks” of Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron (HSM) 78, operating the MH-60R Sea Hawk. This well-rounded strike group is ready to respond to a wide range of missions and contingencies.

From right to left, the American-class amphibious ship USS America (LHA 6), Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Spruance (DDG 111), Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70), Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Lake Champlain (CG 57), Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) Hyuga-class helicopter destroyer JS Hyuga (DDH 181), Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Chafee (DDG 90), Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Mobile Bay (CG 53), and Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) transit the Philippine Sea, Jan. 22, 2022. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Larissa T. Dougherty)

The ABECSG consists of CSG 3, including aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72), Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 9, Destroyer Squadron 21, the Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Mobile Bay (CG 53), and the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers USS Fitzgerald (DDG 62), USS Gridley (DDG 101), USS Sampson (DDG 102), and USS Spruance (DDG 111). CVW 9 consists of an F-35C squadron, the “Black Knights” of Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 314; three F/A-18E/F Super Hornet squadrons, the “Top Hatters” of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 14, the “Black Aces” of VFA 41, and the “Vigilantes” of VFA 151; “Wizards” of Electronic Attack Squadron (VAQ) 133, operating the EA-18G Growler; “Wallbangers” of Carrier Airborne Early Warning Squadron (VAW) 117, operating the E-2D Advanced Hawkeye; “Titans” of Fleet Logistics Multi-Mission Squadron (VRM) 30, operating the CMV-22B Osprey; “Chargers” of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 14, operating the MH-60S Sea Hawk; and “Raptors” of Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron (HSM) 71, operating the MH-60R Sea Hawk.

As the U.S. Navy’s largest forward-deployed fleet, U.S. 7th Fleet routinely operates between 50-70 ships and submarines and 140 aircraft with approximately 20,000 Sailors. U.S. 7th Fleet’s area of responsibility spans more than 124 million square kilometers, stretching from the International Date Line to the India/Pakistan border, and from the Kuril Islands in the North to the Antarctic in the South Pacific, providing security and stability to the region. U.S. 7th Fleet interacts with 35 other maritime nations to build partnerships that foster maritime security while conducting a wide range of missions to support humanitarian efforts and uphold international laws and freedoms of the sea.

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