Sailors run toward cargo on the flight deck of the USS George Washington that was dropped off by helicopter while underway in the Pacific Ocean, Oct. 24, 2024. (August Clawson/U.S. Navy)
The aircraft carrier USS George Washington, recently arrived from San Diego to rejoin 7th Fleet, led a U.S. Navy contingent in a large-scale exercise near Okinawa with the Japanese Self-Defense Forces.
The carrier, along with the guided-missile cruiser USS Lake Erie and guided-missile destroyer USS Preble, were in the Philippine Sea participating in Keen Sword, biennial training intended to sharpen the U.S.-Japan military alliance.
The George Washington is also putting to work its embarked Carrier Air Wing 5 and Task Force 70’s Electronic Attack Squadron 134, according to a news release Monday from U.S. Indo-Pacific Command.
“The George Washington Carrier Strike Group’s presence is crucial in Keen Sword 25,” Rear Adm. Greg Newkirk, the strike group commander, said in the release. “In Keen Sword, our strike group rehearses complex, high-end warfighting with the joint force and allies.”
The 10-day exercise, which concludes Friday, showcases the abilities of the U.S. Navy and the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force, but it also “reestablishes the George Washington Carrier Strike Group in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations with emphasis,” Newkirk continued.
The aircraft carrier USS George Washington, seen here in the Pacific Ocean on Oct. 29, 2024, is leading a contingent of Navy forces during the Keen Sword exercise. (Caroline Lui/U.S. Navy)
“Not only is the strike group conducting dynamic flight operations and complex expeditionary logistics during this exercise, it is also serving as a hub for tactical decision-making, driving action and reaction among forces throughout the region,” he said.
The George Washington is returning to Yokosuka Naval Base south of Tokyo, its homeport from 2008 to 2015 as the first nuclear-powered carrier based in Japan.
It was relieved by the USS Ronald Reagan, which completed a nine-year term and left in May for scheduled maintenance in the United States.
Once the George Washington’s sea patrol is over sometime in late fall, the carrier will return to Yokosuka and assume its role as the centerpiece of the 7th Fleet’s carrier strike group in the Indo-Pacific, according to the news release.
On Oct. 23, the George Washington engaged in a fueling-at-sea with the guided-missile destroyer USS McCampbell and on Oct. 25 a replenishment-at-sea with the dry cargo and ammunition ship USNS Cesar Chavez, according to information posted by the carrier to the Defense Visual Information Distribution Service.
The exercise first began in 1986, and this year is expected to include approximately 12,000 U.S. and 33,000 Japanese troops, 40 vessels and 370 aircraft, according to a Sept. 26 news release from Japan’s Joint Staff.
A spokesperson for the carrier strike group did not immediately respond to an email request for additional information Wednesday.
