There are reports of the deployment of modern stealth aircraft, which is likely a signal of the US Navy's assertion of dominance in response to China's persistent maneuvers.
Reported by UNN with reference to Newsweek.
According to photos released by the US Navy, the USS Carl Vinson, one of 11 US nuclear-powered aircraft carriers in service, sailed through the Philippine Sea, a marginal sea in the western Pacific, with six additional F-35C Lightning II fighter jets the day before.
The stealth aircraft are assigned to Strike Fighter Squadron 147, which is based at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni in Japan and is part of Carrier Air Wing Five, an operational naval aviation organization within the USS George Washington aircraft carrier based in Japan.
Along with the aircraft carrier, which carries nine air squadrons, a squadron of destroyers (DESRON 28); the Ticonderoga missile cruiser USS Gettysburg (CG 64) and two Arleigh Burke missile destroyers USS Stout (DDG 55) and USS Jason Dunham (DDG 109) were deployed, according to the US military authorities.
“The strike force is being deployed to ensure regional stability and security,” the statement said.
The US Navy has stated that the F-35C is the most effective fighter jet and the basis of its air superiority.
The Lightning II is the world's first and only stealthy long-range fighter designed and built specifically for operations with US aircraft carriers.
This build-up comes after the Chinese military reportedly mobilized 90 ships for a three-day exercise around Taiwan. The exercise areas also included Japan's southern islands, the East China Sea, and the South China Sea.
China considers self-governing Taiwan to be part of its territory. The United States recognizes Beijing as the only government of China, but does not approve of Chinese claims to Taiwan.