The Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS George Washington and its carrier strike group are providing a military presence in the western Pacific after two recent hostile incidents between China and the Philippines.
The USS George Washington transited the Luzon Strait on July 22 after being deployed to the Philippine Sea and participating in the June Valiant Shield exercise alongside Japanese warships.
“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,” said Lee Lipton, U.S. ambassador to the Philippines. “We challenge excessive maritime claims around the world.”
The China Coast Guard on July 20 deployed an inflatable boat to the disputed territory of Second Thomas Shoal. The boat approached and surveilled a Philippine Navy vessel, which in turn deployed its own boats to deter Chinese forces, according to the Armed Forces of the Philippines.
China Coast Guard personnel on the inflatable boat struck a Philippine Navy personnel with a wooden baton, injuring the service member.
The U.S. publicly condemned China’s actions, claiming they threatened regional stability.
Several days later, on July 24, the China Coast Guard attacked the Philippine Coast Guard and Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources vessels with water cannons in the vicinity of Scarborough Shoal, according to the Philippine Coast Guard.
Amid the flareups, Secretary of State Marco Rubio addressed the U.S. commitment to assisting the South Asian nation against Chinese aggression while speaking to the press on July 23 during the ASEAN Foreign Ministerial Meetings in the Philippines.
“We’re committed to supporting our treaty partners, and obviously we’ve already done quite a bit,” Rubio said. “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.
“We’re already here, we’re already present, we have a role, and we’re not going to abandon our allies,” he noted. “We’ve made that abundantly clear.”
Riley Ceder is a reporter at Military Times, where he covers breaking news, criminal justice, investigations, and cyber. He previously worked as an investigative practicum student at The Washington Post, where he contributed to the Abused by the Badge investigation.
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