Dzirhan Mahadzir – March 10, 2025 2:43 PM
U.S. aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70) is operating in the Sea of Japan after wrapping a five-day port visit to South Korea on Friday, USNI News has learned.
Carl Vinson (CVN-70) wrapped up a five-day port visit to Busan, South Korea on Friday while Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 5, assigned to Japan-based aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN-73) will head to Guam this week to conduct training there until the end of March, according to the Navy.
As of Monday, Carl Vinson was operating off the coast of South Korea, according to the USNI News Fleet and Marine Tracker.
“We are incredibly grateful to the Republic of Korea for being great hosts to the Carrier Strike Group One team,” said Rear Adm. Michael Wosje, commander, Carrier Strike Group 1 in the release, “Our presence is a tangible reminder of the ironclad commitment to the U.S.-ROK alliance that has contributed to peace, stability and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific and the Korean Peninsula for over seven decades.”
The Carrier Strike Group includes carrier Carl Vinson (CVN-70) with embarked CVW-2, cruiser USS Princeton (CG-59) and destroyers USS Sterett (DDG-104) and USS William P. Lawrence (DDG-110). A Republic of Korea Navy release stated that Carl Vinson, Princeton and Sterett pulled into Busan on Mar. 2.
Carl Vinson deployed from San Diego on Nov. 18, putting it just short of four months on deployment. The Japan-based carrier George Washington is unlikely to deploy until April as the fixed wing aircraft of its assigned CVW-5 departs their home base of Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Iwakuni to carry out training in Guam.
The move is part of the ongoing Aviation Relocation Training Program between the U.S. and Japan where U.S. military aircraft based in Japan relocate from their home bases to carry out training elsewhere to reduce the impact of such training around their Japan home bases with the relocation being to Guam or to facilities in Japan which are not located near densely populated area.
Until March 28, 16 F/A-18 Super Hornet fighters, five E/A-18 Growler electronic attack fighters and 450 personnel from CVW-5 will relocate from MCAS Iwakuni to Guam to carry out training, a Japan Ministry of Defense (MOD) release on Friday
The statement said from Mar. 14 to Mar. 30, 10 F-35C Lightning II and 8 F/A-18 Super Hornets fighters, three E-2D Hawkeye Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEWC) aircraft and 370 personnel will relocate from Iwakuni to Guam, the release stated that this was the 79th and 80th time that training has been transferred overseas.
“The relocation of training to Guam and other locations is being implemented to reduce the impact of training activities on areas surrounding U.S. military airbases,” read the release.
CVW-5 consists of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 27 “Royal Maces”, VFA-102 “Diamondbacks” and VFA-195 “Dambusters” operating F/A-18 Superhornets, 147 “Argonauts” operating F-35C Lightning IIs, Electronic Attack Squadron (VAQ) 141, operating EA-18G Growlers, Airborne Command & Control Squadron (VAW) 125 “Tigertails”, operating E-2D Hawkeyes, Fleet Logistics Multi-Mission Squadron (VRM) 30, operating CMV-22 Ospreys, Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 12 “Golden Falcons”, operating MH-60S Sea Hawks and Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron (HSM) 77 “Saberhawks”, operating MH-60R Sea Hawks. CVW-5 wrapped up its last deployment on Nov. 18. 2024 with the training deployment to Guam likely being its work up phase in preparation for a patrol in Spring by the George
At MCAS Iwakuni on Saturday, the U.S. Marine Corps’ Japan-based aviation forces received their first F-35 deployment from the continental United States with Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 214 “Black Sheep”, an F-35B squadron of Marine Aircraft Group (MAG) 13, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing (MAG) based at MCAS Yuma, Arizona, deploying to MCAS Iwakuni, Japan, under the Marine Corps’ Unit Deployment Program (UDP) to temporarily support MAG-12, 1st MAW flight operations in the Indo-Pacific according to a Marine Corps release on Saturday.
“Our focus during this deployment is threefold,” said Lt. Col. Robert Guyette, the commanding officer of VMFA-214 in a statement.
“To seamlessly integrate within Marine forces, joint forces, and regional allies and improve warfighting readiness as a combined force, refine our ability to operate from austere locations, and align with key Marine Corps concepts like Expeditionary Advanced Base Operations to maximize survivability and airpower projection.”
The release also stated that while MAG-12 currently maintains two fully operational F-35B squadrons, “An additional F-35B squadron increases Marine aviation’s contribution to operations in the Indo-Pacific with joint forces, allies, and partners alike from established and scantily developed locations for distributed operations,” said Col. Kyle B. Shoop, the commander of MAG-12, in the release.
The UDP provides continental U.S.-based units with experience operating in the Indo-Pacific through continuous and overlapping deployments to the region, according to the release which also stated that traditionally, fixed-wing aircraft groups have supported the UDP with F/A-18 Hornets and AV-8B Harriers. While Hornet deployments are available to support the UDP in the future, VMFA-214’s deployment marked a milestone in the February 2025 Marine Aviation Plan: the transition from 4th to 5th generation aircraft, according to the release.
Maj. Gen. Marcus Annibale, the commanding general of 1st MAW, emphasized tin the release that the move is designed to meet operational needs in the Indo-Pacific with a forward-leaning approach, ““As more F-35 squadrons deploy to the remote and contested environments of the Indo-Pacific, Marine Aviation’s readiness will grow, and our capabilities as a combined force in this region will become even more lethal.”
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