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By Ryan Chan
China News Reporter
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A United States warship, capable of carrying stealth fighter jets will reportedly leave be redeployed from its home port in Japan later this year.
The U.S. Navy "continually monitors force readiness and capabilities to provide the most robust, capable maritime force possible," the U.S. Pacific Fleet told Newsweek via email.
Why It Matters
The amphibious assault ship, USS America, is equipped with a flight deck that supports U.S. Marine Corps F-35B stealth fighter jets. The warship has been stationed in Sasebo on the Japanese main island of Kyushu since December 2019.
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Japan is a security treaty ally of the U.S., where the Pentagon deploys aircraft, ships, and troops. The Northeast Asian country also forms part of a north-south blockade known as the first island chain with Taiwan and the Philippines under a U.S. defense concept that seeks to constrain Chinese air and naval forces in wartime with allied and friendly territories.
Newsweek has also reached out to the Japanese Defense Ministry for comment by email. The Chinese Defense Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
What To Know
The America is set to leave Japan and shift its home port to San Diego in California "later this year," U.S. Naval Institute News reported on Monday. The warship was underway in the Philippine Sea, a marginal sea of the Western Pacific Ocean, as of Wednesday.
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"Long-range planners constantly evaluate whether ships, aircraft, facilities, and equipment are being used effectively and efficiently," Lieutenant Commander Katie Koenig, who is a spokesperson for the U.S. Pacific Fleet, told Newsweek on Wednesday.
Photos released by the U.S. Navy showed the America conducting flight operations with F-35B fighter aircraft in the U.S. Seventh Fleet's area of operations. The Japan-based fleet has an operating area that covers the Western Pacific Ocean and the Indian Ocean.
The America does not have a catapult and arresting system that a conventional aircraft carrier uses to support flight operations by fixed-wing aircraft but is deployed with the F-35B jets, which can perform short takeoffs and vertical landings on its flight deck.
The U.S. Naval Institute News report comes after the aircraft carrier USS George Washington returned to its Japanese home port of Yokosuka in November last year for its second forward deployment in Japan.
China, which has the largest navy in the world by hull count, launched a new-generation amphibious assault ship, CNS Sichuan, last month. It is designed to carry fixed-wing aircraft for combat and spying missions.
What People Are Saying
Lieutenant Commander Katie Koenig, a spokesperson for the U.S. Pacific Fleet, told Newsweek: "Whenever a decision is reached that significantly changes the U.S. military force structure in Japan, the government of Japan and the public are informed through proper channels in accordance with applicable agreements."
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The U.S. Navy has said: "[USS] America, lead ship of the America Amphibious Ready Group, is forward-deployed to the U.S. Seventh Fleet area of operations. U.S. Seventh Fleet is the U.S. Navy's largest forward-deployed numbered fleet, and routinely interacts and operates with allies and partners in preserving a free and open Indo-Pacific region."
What Happens Next
The U.S. Navy could deploy another advanced vessel to Japan when the America returns to San Diego. The Pentagon is also upgrading its air power in Japan.
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