US Navy aircraft carriers USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71) and USS Nimitz (CVN 68) rendezvoused in the Philippine Sea on June 21 to start dual carrier flight operations.
The two ships met up after USS Nimitz got underway from San Diego earlier this month, while USS Theodore Roosevelt returned to sea after the containing the outbreak of the COVID-19 virus aboard the ship.
The ships and aircraft assigned to both strike groups began coordinated operations in international waters, where they will carry out air defense drills, sea surveillance, replenishments at sea, defensive air combat training, long range strikes, coordinated maneuvers and other exercises.
US Navy aircraft carriers have conducted dual carrier strike group operations in the Western Pacific including the South China Sea, East China Sea and Philippine Sea for several years. These operations typically occur when strike groups deployed to the 7th Fleet area of operations from the West Coast of the United States are joined with the forward deployed carrier strike group from Japan.
In 2017, the navy even pulled off a three-carrier drill when USS Ronald Reagan, USS Nimitz, and USS Theodore Roosevelt operated together off the Korean Peninsula. Worth noting is that the navy currently also has three carriers in the region, with the third one being the Japan-based USS Ronald Reagan.
“This is a great opportunity for us to train together in a complex scenario,” said Rear Adm. Doug Verissimo, commander of Carrier Strike Group (CSG) 9. “By working together in this environment, we’re improving our tactical skills and readiness in the face of an increasingly pressurized region and COVID-19.”
“Working with Rear Adm. Kirk and Carrier Strike Group 11 during their deployment is a great opportunity for us to train on how we would operate multiple carrier strike groups in a contested environment,” said Verissimo.
CSG 11 consists of the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68), guided-missile cruiser USS Princeton (CG 53) and guided-missile destroyers of Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 9, which includes USS Sterett (DDG 104), USS Ralph Johnson (DDG 114) and Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 17.
CSG 9 consists of the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71), guided-missile cruiser USS Bunker Hill (CG 53) and guided-missile destroyers from Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 23, USS Russell (DDG 59), USS Rafaela Peralta (DDG 115), and Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 11.
