- The US Navy is sending the USS America, a new type of amphibious assault ship, to the Pacific to increase the firepower in the region, the service said in a statement.
- The USS America has the ability to be outfitted with a heavy configuration of F-35B stealth fighters and repurposed to function as a so-called "Lightning Carrier."
- The Navy stressed that the security situation in the region demands that the Navy shift its most capable ships forward to bring the greatest amount of striking power into the area.
- The decision to send the USS America, which will replace the older USS Wasp as it rotates home, to this area of operations comes as China flexes its muscles in the region.
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The US Navy is bringing increased strike power to US forces in the region with a new deployment, the Navy said in a statement.
The USS America - a new, more-capable amphibious assault ship able to deploy with a heavier configuration of F-35B Joint Strike Fighters than its predecessors and serve as a light aircraft carrier - is joining the US 7th Fleet's forward-deployed naval forces at Fleet Activities Yokosuka in Sasebo, Japan.
Also headed to Japan is the USS New Orleans, a San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock.
The USS Wasp, a predecessor to the America-class amphibious assault ships, will depart the region for scheduled maintenance in Norfolk. The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Stethem will head to San Diego for the ship's mid-life modernization.