A US Navy photograph obtained on Feb. 7 shows the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson participating in a vertical replenishment-at-sea with the Black Knights of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 4 and the Military Sealift Command dry cargo and ammunition ship USNS Charles Drew in the Pacific Ocean on Feb. 3. Photo: AFP
A US aircraft carrier strike group has begun patrols in the South China Sea amid concerns the disputed waterway could become a flashpoint under the new US administration.