US Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Sean M. Castellano
China has for years been whittling away at the US military's asymmetrical advantage in conventional military strength with a naval buildup, building and militarizing artificial islands in the South China Sea, and creating systems and weapons custom built to negate the US's technological advantage.
By all indications, China is building aircraft carriers and getting ready to place surface-to-air missiles deep into the South China Sea.
Meanwhile, China's neighbors have grown increasingly worried and timid as it cements a land grab in a shipping lane that sees $5 trillion in annual trade and has billions in resources, like oil, waiting to be exploited.
Six countries lay claim to parts of the South China Sea, and the US isn't one of them. But the US doesn't need a dog in this fight to stand up for freedom of navigation and international law.
For the US, checking Beijing in the Pacific often means sailing carrier strike groups through the region — something the Navy has done for decades, whether China protests or not.
US Navy photo by Mass Communications Specialist 3rd Class Kurtis A. Hatcher
As Navy Vice Adm. Joseph Aucoin, commander of 7th Fleet, said recently at a military conference: "We’re going to fly, sail, operate wherever international law allows."
US Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Ricardo R. Guzman/Released
The strike group has plenty of aircraft along with them, like this A F/A-18E Super Hornet and a nuclear-capable B-1B Lancer from Guam.
US Navy photo by Lt. Robert Nordlund
Unlike submarines and ICBMs buried under land or sea, the US's strategic, nuclear-capable bombers make up the most visible leg of the nuclear triad. Placing a handful of B-1Bs in Guam sends a message to the region.
US Air Force
Here's the US's entire strategic bomber force lined up in Guam, representing more than 60 years bomber dominance.
The B-52, the B-1, and the B-2 (right to left) on runways at Andersen Air Force Base in Guam.US Air Force
It also doesn't hurt when the US Navy shows off its complete mastery of carrier-based aircraft. There are F-18 pilots in the Navy that likely have more carrier landings than the entire Chinese navy combined.
US Navy Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Matt Brown
Those jets benefit from the support of about 7,000 sailors on the ship, who keep them running around the clock.
US Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Matt Brown
Airborne early warning and control planes like the E-2 Hawkeye use massive radars to act as the eyes and ears of the fleet. Not much gets past them.
US Navy Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Matt Brown
But carriers don't sail alone either. Here a guided missile destroyer knocks through some rough seas accompanying the Vinson.
US Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Joshua Mortensen
The US Navy may be the most professional in the world, with a very serious mission in the South China Sea, but they still make time for a swim on one of the US's newest combat ships, the USS Coronado.
US Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Amy M. Ressler
The Coronado doesn't look like an aircraft carrier, but it does have serious airpower in the form of a MH-60S Seahawk with twin .50 caliber door guns.
US Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Amy M. Ressler
But the key to the US's success in far away waters is allies. The US doesn't do anything alone, if you're noticing a pattern here. Here US and Royal Brueni Navy sailors practice boarding a ship.
In February, US Marines partnered up with Japanese self-defense forces to practice amphibious landings — a skill that may one day come in handy on artificial islands.
Lance Cpl. Tyler Byther/US Marine Corps
Sometimes working with allies means getting down and dirty. Here a Seabee gets neck deep in Japan.
Seabee is participating in the endurance course at the Jungle Warfare Training Center in Okinawa, Japan.US Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Adam Henderson
The bottom line is that the US military has decades of experience sailing, training, and fighting with its allies in the Pacific. China has come a long way in shifting the balance of power in the region, but the US remains on top — for now.
Alex Lockie
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