When asked how long the Pentagon might go without deploying an aircraft carrier force to the Indo-Pacific, he insisted “you can walk and chew gum at the same time.”
Pentagon spokesman Rear Adm. Pat Ryder was asked by Fox News' Jennifer Griffin on Tuesday how long the department expects the Indo-Pacific region to remain without a carrier strike group. Ryder also asked whether it's dangerous to have no carriers in the region.
“You know, as we look at global power management and what is required around the world to support our national security interests, we always pay close attention to making sure we are able to fulfill those missions in our priority theater, which is the Indo-Pacific region,” Ryder said, “so we have significant capabilities there, including a significant naval presence.”
Two aircraft carrier strike groups, the USS Theodore Roosevelt and the USS Abraham Lincoln, are being deployed to the Middle East as part of America's commitment “to support the defense of Israel against threats from Iran and its regional partners and proxies,” according to the Pentagon.
Two U.S. aircraft carrier strike groups ordered to remain in Middle East amid rising tensions
USS Abraham Lincoln photo provided by the U.S. Navy (Zachary Pearson/U.S. Navy via Getty Images)
Both carriers are in the Gulf of Oman.
Ryder told reporters that the two carrier groups would remain in the region to protect U.S. forces, support Israel's defense and prepare for a variety of contingencies.
In May, the Ronald Reagan departed its home port in Japan, completing a nearly nine-year deployment to the Indo-Pacific region, where it played a key role in U.S. efforts to strengthen defense ties with Japan and regional partners.
China and Philippines exchange accusations after ship collision in South China Sea
USS Abraham Lincoln photo provided by the U.S. Navy (Stephanie Contreras/U.S. Navy via Getty Images)
The Reagan is scheduled to be replaced by the George Washington aircraft carrier later this year.
Griffin asked Ryder how long he expected the carrier gap in the Indo-Pacific region to last.
“We won't give a deployment timeline for operational security reasons, but the bottom line is you can walk and chew gum at the same time,” Ryder said.
U.S. Navy aircraft carrier Ronald Reagan leaves Japan home port for first time in 10 years
Family members of the crew of the U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan (CVN-76) at U.S. Naval Base Yokosuka, south of Tokyo, May 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
Chinese and Philippine coast guard vessels collided at sea last week, damaging at least two vessels, the latest in an increasingly disturbing standoff in the disputed South China Sea.
The Philippines' West Philippine Sea National Task Force said two coast guard vessels, the BRP Bagacay and BRP Cape Engano, “encountered illegal and aggressive actions” by Chinese coast guard vessels while en route to the Philippine military-occupied islands of Patag and Lawak in the disputed area.
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China has been rapidly expanding its military and making increasingly assertive territorial claims, primarily with the Philippines but also involved in long-standing territorial disputes with Vietnam, Taiwan, Malaysia and Brunei.
Fox News Digital's Greg Norman and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
