According to information published by the U.S. Department of Defense on June 15, 2021, the Ronald Reagan Carrier Strike Group is operating in the South China Sea for the first time during its 2021 deployment.
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The aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan during a visit to Hong Kong (Picture source: ArabNews)
While in the South China Sea, the strike group is conducting maritime security operations, which include flight operations with fixed and rotary wing aircraft, maritime strike exercises, and coordinated tactical training between surface and air units. Carrier operations in the South China Sea are part of the U.S. Navy’s routine presence in the Indo-Pacific.
The carrier strike group includes the Navy's forward-deployed aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76), embarked Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 5, and embarked staffs of Task Force 70 and Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 15, the Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Shiloh (CG 67), and the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Halsey (DDG 97).
Most recently, the guided-missile destroyer USS Curtis Wilbur (DDG 54) operated with Royal Australian Navy (RAN) Anzac-class frigate HMAS Ballarat (FFH 155) in the South China Sea, June 6 - 11. Wilbur and Ballarat demonstrated the Navy’s commitment to work with like-minded allies and partners to preserve international order in the South China Sea.
USS Shiloh (CG-67) is a Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser of the United States Navy, named in remembrance of the Battle of Shiloh during the American Civil War. She was built at the Bath Iron Works in Bath, Maine.
The USS Shiloh was the first missile defense-capable ship to be deployed in Japan, at Yokosuka base. The 9,957-ton cruiser is armed with Standard Missile-3 (SM-3) interceptors for shooting down medium-range ballistic missiles tracked by the high-performance Aegis radar system.
