On 4 August at the start of a visit to the Asia-Pacific region, US Defense Secretary Mark Esper said he favoured deploying intermediate-range conventional missiles at various Asia-Pacific sites within months, and reportedly criticised China's "aggressive, destabilising behaviour" in the South China Sea.
The USS Ronald Reagan, with other ships in its naval flotilla, including the guided-missile cruisers USS Chancellorsville and USS Antietam, anchored off the capital of the Philippines Wednesday, in its second port call in Manila in just over a year, reports the Rappler.
The official purpose of the Ronald Reagan Carrier Strike Group visiting Manila is a break from patrol duty, offering the more than 5,000 crew some down time, with engagements planned with the Philippine Navy and social events highlighting bilateral ties.
In a briefing on board the warship, the strike group's commander Rear Admiral Karl Thomas responded to journalists’ questions regarding the geopolitical tensions in the region, emphasising that part of Washington's response to the volatile situation is its naval presence.
"The beauty of this aircraft carrier is that it provides a lot of security and stability to this region. It allows us to go out there and set an environment where these kinds of disputes can be solved in a peaceful manner," said Thomas.
"Our goal is to allow folks to be able to sail and operate wherever international law allows and I think we do that fairly effectively," he added.
"Our goal is to allow folks to be able to sail and operate wherever international law allows and I think we do that fairly effectively," he added.
The visit of the US naval strike group comes against the backdrop of statements made by US Defense Secretary Mark Esper as he set out on a visit to the Asia-Pacific region.
Esper said he wanted to deploy intermediate-range conventional missiles at various Asia-Pacific sites within months, as the US officially withdrew last week from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty. He also claimed China was destabilising the Indo-Pacific, and charged Beijing with “predatory economics”, “intellectual property theft” and “weaponizing the global commons”.
“We firmly believe no one nation can or should dominate the Indo-Pacific and we are working alongside our allies and partners to address the region’s pressing security needs, Esper told reporters in Sydney, in statements that fed into the flames of already heightened tensions between Washington and Beijing as they wage an escalating trade war.
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