The US Navy will send two aircraft carriers and several accompanying warships
to the South China Sea in the coming days to
participate in a military exercise. The USS Nimitz and USS Ronald Reagan Carrier Strike Groups are conducting dual carrier operations in the Philippine Sea and South China Sea," said Lt. Joe Jeiley, a spokesman for the Seventh Fleet. "Operating two carrier strike groups in the Philippine Sea and South China Sea provides advanced training opportunities for our forces and provides combatant commanders with significant operational flexibility should those forces be called upon in response to regional situations.
"The presence of two carriers is not in response to any political or world events. This advanced capability is one of many ways the U.S. Navy promotes security, stability, and prosperity throughout the Indo-Pacific."
The exercise is long planned but comes as China conducts military drills of its own in the area, near the contested Paracel Islands, exercises that have been criticized by the US and other countries.
The Wall Street Journal first reported the carriers' participation in the coming exercise.
