USNI News today, April 18, quotes a press release from the US Navy that the Nimitz aircraft carrier strike group is operating in the South China Sea.

The current composition of the Nimitz carrier strike group in the South China Sea includes the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz, with the 17th Air Wing, the cruiser USS Bunker Hill and the two destroyers USS Decatur and USS Wayne E. Meyer.

This is the third time the Nimitz carrier strike group has operated in the South China Sea during its deployment to the Indo-Pacific, according to the statement. The Nimitz Carrier Strike Group deployed from the West Coast on December 3 and joined the US 7th Fleet on December 16. This group of ships has been operating in the East China Sea and the Philippine Sea after leaving the port of Busan, South Korea on April 2.

Meanwhile, Japan continues to monitor China’s Shandong aircraft carrier strike group, according to USNI News . On April 17, the Joint Chiefs of Staff Office (JSO) of the Japanese Ministry of Defense released a report detailing the location and composition of the Chinese aircraft carrier battle group from April 10-16, along with the total number of aircraft carriers. flight operations performed by the group of ships during that period.

During the aforementioned period, the J-15 fighter jet performed 140 takeoffs and landings on the Shandong aircraft carrier and the helicopter performed 70 times, according to JSO. Japan Air Self-Defense Force fighter jets took off in response to J-15 launches, according to USNI News .

On April 16, China’s Shandong aircraft carrier strike group in the Pacific consisted of the Shandong aircraft carrier, two frigates, a destroyer and a tanker, according to USNI News .