USS Ronald Reagan steams into South China Sea after summer deployment to Middle East
by Alex Wilson
• Stars and Stripes • September 24, 2021
The Ronald Reagan Carrier Strike Group, fresh from duty in the Middle East, sailed into the contentious South China Sea on Friday.
The Navy announced the strike group’s entry into the area in a news release the same day. Led by the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan, the strike group returns to the region after spending nearly three months in the Arabian Sea supporting the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan.
“We look forward to leveraging our recent out-of-area experience as we return to the South China Sea and our rapidly growing alliances and partnerships dedicated to the Indo-Pacific," said Rear Adm. Will Pennington, commander of Task Force 70 and Carrier Strike Group 5, in the release.
The strike group, on patrol from its homeport at Yokosuka Naval Base since May, will conduct flight operations, maritime strike operations, anti-submarine operations and tactical training while in the South China Sea, according to the Navy.
https://www.stripes.com/branches/navy/2021-09-24/uss-ronald-reagan-south-china-sea-us-navy-3001798.html
