Ronald Reagan Carrier Strike Group passes through South China Sea amid regional tensions

MANILA, Philippines — The Ronald Reagan Carrier Strike Group of the US Navy is passing through the South China Sea from recently concluded drills with the fleets of Japan, France and Canada, according to images released by the Pentagon.

The drills, and Reagan's transit through the tense South China Sea, happen in the middle of China’s continued insistence that greater US military presence in the region is threatening peace.

According to a report by private military association United States Naval Institute (USNI), carriers USS Ronald Reagan (CVN-76) and cruiser USS Antietam (CG-54) were shown during a replenishment at sea operation in the South China Sea.

Another set of images showed the presence of the destroyer USS Rafael Peralta (DDG-115) in the same area, the report stated.

Prior to its travels in the Philippine Sea in May, the USS Nimitz (CVN-68) and its accompanying strike group were engaged in operations in the South China Sea in April, according to the USNI.

For the first time since 2020, the two strike groups operated together when they joined the second iteration of the United States’ Large Scale Global Exercise 2023 last week, which was also participated in by ships from the United States, Japan, Canada, and France. —Cristina Chi