Hal Kempfer
Hal Kempfer: "Three U.S. Navy supercarriers are operating in the Western Pacific this week amid mounting tensions between China and Taiwan, as well as U.S. treaty allies Japan and the Philippines.
The concentration of so many of the ships, uncommon during peacetime, was prompted by joint exercises to boost cooperative operations between American and Japanese forces.
U.S. Naval Institute News' fleet tracker on Monday showed two Nimitz-class supercarriers, the USS Theodore Roosevelt and USS Carl Vinson, to be in waters east of Taiwan and northeast of the Philippines.
Forward-deployed amphibious assault ship the USS America, which can function as a light aircraft carrier, was also shown to be in the area.
Meanwhile, forward-deployed Nimitz-class carrier the USS Ronald Reagan, was shown to be at its home port of Yokosuka, Japan, bringing the total number of U.S. flattops to four.
As of Wednesday, the USS Carl Vinson and USS Theodore Roosevelt were in international waters southeast of the Miyako Strait and west of Taiwan, according to ship tracking data reported by Chinese think tank South China Sea Probing Initiative.
Note: This is quite an assemblage of naval power. Am curious if this has a connection with what FBI Director Wray was discussing in Congress today."