USS Ronald Reagan Captain Boasts That His Carrier Will Maintain Its 'Warfighting Prowess' While Monitoring China's Military Activities Around Taiwan

Sailors on the bridge wing of Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Chancellorsville observe a replenishment-at-sea between USS Ronald Reagan and USNS Rappahannock on August 12, 2022, in the Philippine Sea. President Joe Biden directed the USS Ronald Reagan to “stay on station” as China launched unprecedented military drills around Taiwan, Kurt Campbell, Biden’s top Asia policy adviser, said on August 12. Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Justin Stack/U.S. Navy 

Newsweek: U.S. Carrier Watched by China Will Maintain 'Warfighting Prowess': Captain 

The captain of a U.S. Navy aircraft carrier ordered to monitor China's military activities around Taiwan says the warship will maintain the necessary readiness to win a fight. 

"Everything that we do onboard 'Warship 76' is oriented towards the common understanding that not only must we sustain our combat readiness in order to prevail in conflict, but that we also have a responsibility to maintain such a consistently high level of warfighting prowess that those who would otherwise threaten peace in our region understand without any ambiguity that today is not the day they dare pick a fight," said Captain Fred Goldhammer, commanding officer of USS Ronald Reagan, also known as CVN-76. 

The Japan-based Seventh Fleet released Goldhammer's statement over the weekend as the Nimitz-class supercarrier continued training exercises in the waters east of Taiwan. 

Kurt Campbell, the White House's top Asia policy adviser, told reporters last Friday that President Joe Biden had directed the ship to "stay on station" in the Western Pacific as Chinese forces conducted a quasi-blockade of Taiwan and launched ballistic missiles over the island earlier this month. 

Beijing's moves, which Campbell called "provocative activities," included the deployment of dozens of fighter aircraft and naval vessels into the airspace and seas around Taiwan, in a dramatic response to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's high-profile visit to Taipei earlier this month.

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Update: USS Ronald Reagan strike group monitoring China's military exercises off Taiwan (RFA)  

WNU Editor: China will take this opportunity to test its carrier killer missiles .... Analyst warns of China testing 'carrier killer missiles' (Taiwan News).