In the lead-up to Taiwan’s presidential election, which marked a preference for sovereignty over closer ties with China, the United States discreetly deployed a third carrier strike group to the western Pacific region.
On Thursday, the USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71) departed from San Diego, joining the USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) and the USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) in the area. This unannounced deployment caught the attention of independent journalists and defense observers, with one journalist noting that the move seemed hastily executed.
The USS Theodore Roosevelt is the fourth Nimitz-class, nuclear-powered aircraft carrier in the U.S. Navy.
While the deployment wasn’t officially disclosed before the Thursday departure, a defense official later confirmed it to USNI News. Observers witnessed the carrier’s departure, accompanied by a detachment of C-2A Greyhounds from the East Coast. These Greyhounds were filling in for the grounded CV-22B Ospreys, as per the report.
“Two C-2A Greyhounds from the ‘Rawhides’ of Fleet Logistics Squadron (VRC) 40 will get underway with Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Strike Group to provide crucial carrier onboard delivery (COD) services,” explained Naval Air Forces in a statement to USNI News. “U.S. Navy carrier air wings are uniquely flexible to interchange platforms within the air wing, and C-2A Greyhounds are a proven platform capable of carrying out logistical support and personnel transport to aircraft carriers.”
The USS Theodore Roosevelt embarked with the guided-missile cruiser USS Lake Erie (CG 70) on its mission. It is set to follow the USS Carl Vinson, which had been in the Philippine Sea after its deployment to the Western Pacific in October, according to USNI News.
The original plan was for the USS Vinson to undertake a five to six-month deployment, with the USS Roosevelt scheduled to relieve it. However, Thursday’s deployment occurred earlier than anticipated, with the USS Vinson reportedly heading toward Taiwan during the weekend’s elections, as reported on X.
The USS Ronald Reagan had been the U.S.’s sole forward-deployed carrier but completed its final patrol in November and is scheduled to return home in 2024.
The U.S. Naval Air Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet emphasized the significance of the USS Theodore Roosevelt, stating, “Anytime & anywhere TR reports for duty, she (a floating city of 5,500 Sailors) brings 4.5 acres of sovereign U.S. territory & 97,000 tons of diplomacy.”
