TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier and its strike group have joined the USS George Washington carrier in the Pacific in a move aimed at deterring Chinese aggression in the region.
The Lincoln, which was commissioned in 1989, received Pacific deployment orders in November and departed from San Diego, according to the US Naval Institute. It is accompanied by the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers USS Spruance, USS Michael Murphy, and USS Frank E. Petersen Jr.
The Nimitz-class aircraft carrier completed a scheduled US 5th and 7th Fleet deployment in 2024 and returned to San Diego in late December 2024, per the US Indo-Pacific Command. In August, the carrier participated in the US Indo-Pacific Command joint exercise Northern Edge 2025 near the Gulf of Alaska.
"Our strike group presence in 7th Fleet waters demonstrates our commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific," Rear Admiral Todd Whalen, commander of the Lincoln Carrier Strike Group, said during a port call in Guam on Dec. 11.
The carrier was later confirmed to be conducting routine operations in the Philippine Sea on Dec. 16.
Meanwhile, the USS George Washington, commissioned in 1992, returned to Yokosuka, Japan, on Dec. 11. Its carrier strike group includes Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Robert Smalls and Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers USS Shoup and USS McCampbell.
The USS Robert Smalls and a US P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol and reconnaissance aircraft joined the Philippine Navy Miguel Malvar-class guided-missile frigate BRP Miguel Malvar in an exercise on Dec. 15.
Army Recognition said the presence of two aircraft carriers in the Indo-Pacific bolsters the US military's regional posture and reassures allies of its commitment to security.
