Four U.S. Navy aircraft carriers—all warships of the 100,000-ton, nuclear-powered Nimitz class—and two Chinese "flat-tops" are underway in the Pacific Ocean this week.
One of China's aircraft carriers, the newest and most advanced in the Chinese fleet, was conducting sea trials in Chinese coastal waters. The other was operating beyond the first island chain in international waters near U.S. allies Japan and the Philippines.
Aircraft carriers are major platforms used by countries to project sea power in support of national interests and foreign policy in their immediate region and beyond. The United States has the most aircraft carriers in the world with 11 in service, and China ranks second with three carriers launched.
This month, NATO member Italy deployed one of its aircraft carriers to northern Australia for a military exercises. The ship is scheduled to visit Japan and the Philippines as part of its rare visit to the region.
This is the first of Newsweek's weekly updates about U.S. and Chinese aircraft carrier movements in the strategic Indo-Pacific region. As of July 18, the locations of at least nine ships were publicly available via military disclosures or open-source satellite imagery.
U.S. Navy
USS Carl Vinson: Central Pacific Ocean
Photos published by the U.S. Defense Department showed the Carl Vinson left Naval Station Pearl Harbor in Hawaii for the biennial Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercise on July 8. It was underway in the U.S. Third Fleet area of operations on Monday.
USS Ronald Reagan: Eastern Pacific Ocean
The Ronald Reagan departed Yokosuka naval base in Japan for the last time on May 16, the Pentagon said. It conducted a three-day port visit to Naval Base Guam until June 22 and was underway in the Eastern Pacific on Wednesday.
USNI News, run by the U.S. Naval Institute, reported on July 15 that the Reagan was underway in the Third Fleet area of operations. It will head to Washington state later this year for scheduled maintenance.
The USS George Washington will replace the Reagan as the forward-deployed aircraft carrier in Japan. It arrived at Naval Air Station North Island in San Diego on July 10, the Navy said.
USS Abraham Lincoln: Eastern Pacific Ocean
U.S. Defense Department photographs showed the Abraham Lincoln had departed Naval Air Station North Island on July 11 and was underway in the Third Fleet area of operations, in the Eastern Pacific, on Monday.
The Lincoln began a scheduled Pacific deployment on July 11, USNI News said the following day, citing Navy officials.
USS Nimitz: Eastern Pacific Ocean
Images released by the Pentagon showed the Nimitz arriving at Naval Air Station North Island on July 11 and departing the next day. It was underway in the Third Fleet area of operations on Wednesday.
People's Liberation Army Navy
CNS Shandong: Western Pacific Ocean
The Chinese navy's Shandong and its carrier strike group have been operating in the Philippine Sea since July 9, according to the Japanese Defense Ministry's Joint Staff Office. The carrier group's last known position was about 270 miles south of Miyako, in Japan's southwestern islands, on Monday.
The Shandong was spotted in satellite imagery leaving its home port in Hainan, a Chinese island province facing the South China Sea, on June 20. China's second aircraft carrier in service sailed into the Western Pacific via the Luzon Strait—north of the Philippines and south of Taiwan—earlier this month.
CNS Fujian: Bohai Sea
The Fujian continued its sea trial in the Bohai Sea on July 14, according to open-source satellite imagery. It departed a shipyard in Shanghai for its third sea trial on July 3, ship spotters reported. China's third and most advanced aircraft carrier launched two summers ago.
Meanwhile, the country's first operational aircraft carrier, the Soviet-made CNS Liaoning, was pier side at its home base in Qingdao, a Chinese port city facing the Yellow Sea, on July 14, according to satellite photos.
Italian Navy
ITS Cavour: Australia
Photos published by the Australian Defense Department showed the Italian navy's aircraft carrier ITS Cavour arriving at Darwin in the country's Northern Territory on July 8 to participate in Pitch Black, multinational air drills hosted by the Australian air force.
The Cavour departed its home port in Taranto on June 1 for a five-month deployment in the Indo-Pacific region, Naval News reported at the time. The Italian navy's flagship will stay from July 9 to August 5, according to Italy's embassy in Canberra said.
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