According to Reuters, two American aircraft carriers conducted joint exercises today, Tuesday, in the South China Sea, just days after an American warship sailed near islands controlled by China in the disputed waters, becoming another hotspot in the strained relations between Beijing and Washington.
The U.S. Navy stated that the aircraft carriers Theodore Roosevelt and Nimitz, along with their respective strike groups, "conducted several exercises aimed at enhancing operational interoperability among the ships as well as command and control capabilities.” This marks the first dual operations of aircraft carriers in the busy waterway since July 2020. Earlier, the U.S. military considered these exercises, in response to upcoming naval drills by Russia, China, and Iran in the Indian Ocean, as not hindering its ability to defend freedom of the seas and support allies, referring to them as a "maritime exercise."
