Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III today, visited the USS George Washington, docked at Fleet Activities in Yokosuka, Japan, to thank sailors for their service and sacrifice in support of the U.S. military, the U.S.-Japan alliance and a free and open Indo-Pacific region.
To the sailors assembled on the flight deck, Austin told them that "you bring to this theater significant capability."
The secretary described the Indo-Pacific as the theater where China is the only nation in the world with the intent and increasing capability to change the rules-based international order.
"We want to see this region remain open to freedom of navigation and the ability to fly the skies in international airways … so we will work with allies and partners to ensure we can do just that," he said.
"When America sends a message that it cares, it typically sends a United States Navy vessel. When America wants to send a message that it really cares, it sends a carrier battle group. What you are doing and what you are part of is significant. It is a significant element in our national defense strategy," he said.
The George Washington is currently under maintenance and Austin extolled the work the crew is doing to get the carrier back to sea.
Once underway again, the ship will carry the advanced F-35C aircraft squadron, based further south in Japan at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni.
"That's a significant milestone for U.S. presence in the Indo-Pacific, because this is the first time that the Navy's forward-deployed carrier air wing includes fifth-generation aircraft," said a senior defense official.
The George Washington, commissioned in 1992, has seen numerous deployments worldwide, including disaster relief after the 2011 earthquake and tsunami in northeast Japan.