Japanese media invited to see U.S. carrier operations

e U.S. Navy on Aug. 5 conducted a military exercise centered around the USS Ronald Reagan, a nuclear-powered aircra carrier deployed in the Paci c Ocean.

Members of the Japanese press were invited to attend.

As part of the exercise, a series of F/A-18 Super Hornet ghter-attack aircra took o from the ship. Press members were also shown a hangar and the ship’s wheelhouse. As of noon on Aug. 5, the vessel was sailing about 500 kilometers south of the U.S. naval base in Atsugi, Kanagawa Prefecture.

e ship’s commanding o cer, Capt. Fred Goldhammer, explained that the carrier is equipped with four on-deck aircra catapults and aircra can depart every 90 seconds and land every 45 seconds.

e Chinese military is currently conducting large-scale military exercises in the vicinity of Taiwan.

Rear Adm. Michael Donnelly, the commander of Carrier Strike Group 5 to which the carrier belongs, said the United States and the Maritime Self-Defense Force were committed to peace and stability in the Indo-Paci c region, adding that Washington would not yield to threats or provocations. (Aug. 7)

The Yomiuri Shimbun Fighter jets line the deck of the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan in the Pacific Ocean on Aug. 5.