The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Rafael Peralta (DDG-115) conducts a vertical replenishment at sea with Naval Transportation Command Far East replenishment oiler USS Carl Brasher (T-AKE-7) while underway in the South China Sea. Commander Task Force 73 (CTF) is working with Naval Transportation Command Far East (MSC FE) to refuel and resupply deployed naval forces with allies and partners in the Indo-Pacific region, July 4, 2023. U.S. Navy photo
This post is part of a series looking back at major Navy news stories for 2023.
U.S. Navy operations this year have seen the Navy once again balance its priorities in the Indo-Pacific with presence needs in other theaters.
As Russia’s invasion of Ukraine enters its second year, the U.S. Navy has kept its 6th Fleet well-equipped with warships.
Meanwhile, the fourth quarter of 2023 saw a naval buildup in the Middle East following the deadly Hamas attacks in southern Israel. In the months since the October 7 attacks, U.S. destroyers deployed to the region have had to engage numerous drones and missiles fired from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen.
Despite pressing needs in other theaters, the U.S. Navy continues to prioritize the Indo-Pacific, where warships regularly deploy and conduct exercises with allies and partners throughout the region.
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The USS Nimitz (CVN-68) transits Puget Sound on its way to its homeport in Bremerton, Wash., July 2, 2023. U.S. Navy photo
The aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN-68) spent the first half of 2023 deployed to the Indo-Pacific region.
While in the region, the carrier took part in U.S. Indo-Pacific Command’s second large-scale international exercise, which also included participation from several other nations, including Japan. The LSGE exercise ran from mid-May to mid-August.
The Nimitz operated throughout the Western Pacific, including the South China Sea, the Philippine Sea, and the East China Sea. Towards the end of the deployment, the carrier also served as a communications hub supporting relief efforts in Guam after Super Typhoon Mawar.
The Nimitz also conducted training with the Makin Island Amphibious Readiness Group during the deployment. Nimitz’s F/A-18 E/F Super Hornets and E-2D Advanced Hawkeyes worked with F-35Bs from the USS Makin Island (LHD-8).
Meanwhile, the Navy’s only forward-deployed aircraft carrier, the USS Ronald Reagan (CVN-76), based in Yokosuka, Japan, departed on its annual spring patrol in May, operating in the South China Sea and making port calls at Da Nang, Vietnam, and Bali, Indonesia.
An F/A-18F Super Hornet from the Diamondbacks of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 102 lands on the flight deck of the USS Ronald Reagan (CVN-76) in the Philippine Sea, Sept. 29, 2023. U.S. Navy photo
In October, the Reagan Carrier Strike Group conducted joint training with the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force’s frigate Noshiro (FFM-3) in the East China Sea.
That same month, the U.S. aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70) departed for an Indo-Pacific deployment, visiting Busan, South Korea, around Thanksgiving and then conducting trilateral exercises with South Korea and Japan in the East China Sea. The deterrence exercises came shortly after North Korea launched a reconnaissance satellite.
The Vinson is currently visiting Singapore, according to a Dec. 18 USNI News Fleet & Marine Tracker. The carrier is one of the Navy’s few aircraft carriers equipped with the F-35C and Marine Corps MV-22B Ospreys. But as Naval Air Systems Command continues to ground its Osprey fleet, the Vinson relies on older C-2A Greyhounds flying in from Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan, to perform carrier-based missions.
Deploying landing craft
A U.S. Navy sailor operates an air cushion landing craft assigned to Assault Craft Unit 5 aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Makin Island (LHD 8) in port at Subic Bay, April 11, 2023, as it departs for Balikatan 23. U.S. Navy photo
The Makin Island Amphibious Ready Group spent the first few months of 2023 in the Western Pacific on a high-opportunity deployment that featured exercises with allies and partners across the region. Col. Samuel Meyer, commander of the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit, said in an interview with USNI News earlier this year that the unit was the first ARG/MEU to deploy from U.S. soil and remain in the Indo-Pacific for the duration of the deployment.
The other two ships of the ARG, the dock transport landing ships USS John P. Martha (LPD-26) and USS Anchorage (LPD-23), temporarily left to participate in other exercises, with Anchorage heading to Sri Lanka for a cooperative at-sea readiness training exercise.
“In just this deployment, we’ve demonstrated everything from advanced integrated air and missile defense with the F-35s and MV-22s to training in humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, search and rescue and medical operations,” Capt. Andrea Slough, commanding officer of the USS Makin Island (LHD-8), told USNI News in the same interview.
Makin Island also took part in the Philippines’ annual and largest-ever Balikatan exercise, in which F-35Bs from the super-amphibious ship dropped GPS-guided GBU-32 bombs to sink the retired Philippine Navy corvette BRP Pangasinan during Balikatan’s SINKEX.
USS Makin Island (LHD 8) is moored at the pier at U.S. Naval Base Guam for a scheduled port visit May 14, 2023. U.S. Navy photo
During the deployment, Makin Island operated alongside the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz, providing the carrier strike group with fifth-generation fighter capability.
“We created a strike force with a fully integrated command structure and a fully integrated mission, and the carrier doesn’t do everything. Makin Island acted as the Joint Air and Missile Defense Command for a number of days. The mission was integrated with air and ground forces,” Slough said at the time.
Meanwhile, the U.S. Amphibious Ready Force was on patrol earlier in the summer. The USS America (LHA-6) is forward deployed to Sasebo, Japan. The capital ship took part in the Australian-led biennial exercise, Talisman Sabre. This year’s exercise involved 13,000 soldiers from 13 countries.
Following the conclusion of Talisman Sabre, U.S. troops and the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit headed to Bougainville Island in Papua New Guinea to provide humanitarian assistance and disaster relief following a volcanic eruption.
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Following Talisman Sabre, Australia hosted the annual Malabar exercise in August for the Quad, an informal alliance that includes the United States, Australia, India and Japan.
