The U.S. Navy’s aircraft carrier strike group centered on the USS George Washington (CVN-73) recently visited South Korea after completing a series of combined exercises with the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) in the western Pacific. The carrier’s presence is part of the regular operations of the U.S. 7th Fleet, which is responsible for naval activities in the Indo-Pacific region.
Before arriving at the Busan Naval Base, the George Washington had departed from Yokosuka, Japan, in late September, resuming its patrol following a maintenance period. However, the carrier temporarily returned to port on October 18 during the official visit of U.S. President Donald Trump to Japan, when the president delivered a speech aboard the ship to military personnel and crew.
Subsequently, the CVN-73 resumed operations the following Thursday, taking part in a new combined training exercise with the JMSDF. The maneuvers, conducted south of Japan’s Shikoku Island and extending into the East China Sea, included tactical coordination and air defense exercises alongside the Japanese destroyer JS Haguro (DDG-180), the cruiser USS Robert Smalls (CG-62), and the destroyers USS Milius (DDG-69) and USS McCampbell (DDG-85), all of which are part of its strike group.
In an official statement, the JMSDF emphasized that these exercises aim to strengthen cooperation among allies in response to increased naval activity in the region: “With the aim of maintaining a security environment that does not tolerate unilateral changes to the status quo through the use of force, we will tirelessly strengthen our defense posture and cooperation with allied and like-minded nations, and we will actively participate in building a multilateral security framework,” the Japanese force stated.
The George Washington’s deployment is part of the U.S. 7th Fleet’s carrier rotation plan, but also of a broader forward presence strategy, ensuring a consistent U.S. naval force in the Indo-Pacific as well as interoperability with allied forces in an increasingly sensitive regional environment.
As a brief recap, the carrier returned to the western Pacific in November 2024 following an extensive modernization in the United States, where it underwent a comprehensive overhaul and refueling at Newport News Shipbuilding. Since then, and up to the present, the CVN-73 has participated in various activities, including patrols, fixed-wing aircraft carrier landing qualification exercises off the coast of Japan’s Kyushu Island with Carrier Air Wing 5 (CVW-5), port visits to Manila, participation in the multinational exercise Talisman Sabre 2025, among others.
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