USS George Washington Carrier Strike Group Patrols Tension-Filled South China Sea

The US Navy deployed the aircraft carrier strike group led by USS George Washington and its embarked F-35 squadrons to patrol the South China Sea, reported July 27, 2026, amid the week's clashes between China and the Philippines. The US Ambassador to the Philippines said the carrier group was "upholding freedom of navigation and overflight in the South China Sea," underscoring continued American naval presence alongside the Philippines, Japan, and Australia in the contested waterway.