USS George Washington enters South China Sea amid China-Philippines tensions

The United States Navy's only forward-deployed nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, the USS George Washington (CVN-73), transited the Luzon Strait last week and is now operating in the South China Sea. The sixth Nimitz-class supercarrier had previously been deployed to the Philippine Sea and participated in the Valiant Shield joint exercises with the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force in June.

CVN-73 began its 2026 deployment on May 10, 2026, when it departed from its homeport at Yokosuka Naval Base, Japan. The patrol is expected to last approximately six months, similar in length to the carrier's 2025 deployment—its first since returning to Yokosuka after completing its midlife refueling and complex overhaul.

Carrier Strike Group Composition

The USS George Washington Carrier Strike Group, led by the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier with the embarked Carrier Air Wing 5 (CVW-5), also includes:

• *USS Robert Smalls (CG-62) — Ticonderoga*-class guided-missile cruiser
• *USS Benfold (DDG-65) — Arleigh Burke*-class AEGIS guided-missile destroyer
• *USS Shoup (DDG-86) — Arleigh Burke*-class AEGIS guided-missile destroyer

"The USS George Washington Carrier Strike Group's advanced capabilities, including the F-35, are upholding FREEDOM of Navigation and Overflight in the South China Sea. We challenge excessive maritime claims around the world," wrote U.S. Ambassador to the Philippines Lee Lipton in a post on X on Sunday.

A U.S. Carrier in Disputed Waters

CVN-73 is the first U.S. Navy supercarrier deployed to the South China Sea since the USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) conducted routine operations in the waters in January, which included live-fire exercises and a replenishment-at-sea. CVN-72 was subsequently dispatched to the Middle East, leaving the U.S. without a carrier strike group in the Western Pacific until the USS George Washington began its patrol in May.

The U.S. Navy regularly deploys warships to the neutral waters of the South China Sea, even as Beijing maintains the area as its sovereign territory.

Heightened China-Philippines Tensions

The arrival of CVN-73 comes amid escalating tensions between China and the Philippines, which have overlapping maritime claims. Notable incidents include:

• July 20 clash on Second Thomas Shoal: Chinese Coast Guard officers reportedly struck a Philippine Navy SEAL on the head with a wooden baton, necessitating a medical evacuation of the injured sailor, according to USNI News.
• Subsequent attack near Scarborough Shoal: The Chinese Coast Guard reportedly attacked Philippine Coast Guard and Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources vessels with water cannons. Videos of the incident, recorded by the Philippine Coast Guard, have been shared on social media.

U.S. Response

The U.S. has publicly condemned China's actions.

"We're committed to supporting our treaty partners, and obviously we've already done quite a bit," U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said during an address to the ASEAN Foreign Ministerial Meeting in the Philippines last week.

"In fact, there was a U.S. Coast Guard vessel in the region at the time that this happened and actually helped stand between the two sides and allowed the individual who was injured to be rescued and brought back for medical treatment," Rubio added. "We're already here, we're already present, we have a role, and we're not going to abandon our allies. We've made that abundantly clear."

Multiple U.S. Coast Guard Sentinel-class cutters, previously deployed to the Middle East, are now operating in Southeast Asia.

USS Theodore Roosevelt Concluding RIMPAC Exercises

Another U.S. Navy Nimitz-class aircraft carrier, the USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71), has been leading this month's Rim of the Pacific 2026 joint exercises near Hawaii, which kicked off in late June. CVN-71 departed its homeport of San Diego on June 15, 2026, and arrived in Hawaii on June 23.