By Ryan Chan Newsweek World
Both the United States and China have sent an aircraft carrier to the Philippine Sea, beyond the first island chain under America's maritime containment strategy to restrict Beijing's military access to the Pacific Ocean with allied and friendly territories.
Meanwhile in the Indian Ocean, India has deployed an aircraft carrier to the Arabian Sea amid rising tensions with Pakistan following the killing of at least 26 tourists in the contested Kashmir region.
Newsweek's weekly update maps aircraft carrier movements in the Indo-Pacific region. As of April 25, the locations of 11 vessels were publicly available via military disclosures and open-source imagery captured by satellites or ship spotters. The U.S. has the world's largest "flattop" fleet, with 11 aircraft carriers in service. China ranks second with three.
U.S. Navy
USS Nimitz: Philippine Sea
The Nimitz was underway Wednesday in the Philippine Sea, a marginal sea of the Western Pacific Ocean east of the Philippines. The lead ship of the Nimitz class was conducting maritime operations in a demonstration of the U.S.'s commitment to a secure and prosperous Indo-Pacific region, the Navy said.
USS George Washington: Yokosuka, Japan
As of Friday, the George Washington remained at Yokosuka naval base, its home port near Japanese capital Tokyo, according to a local government website that tracks port visits by U.S. nuclear-powered warships.
USS Theodore Roosevelt and USS Abraham Lincoln: San Diego, California
Both the Theodore Roosevelt and the Abraham Lincoln were pierside at Naval Air Station North Island in San Diego on Thursday, according to satellite imagery reviewed by Newsweek.
USS Ronald Reagan: Bremerton, Washington
The Ronald Reagan remained at Naval Base Kitsap in Bremerton as of Thursday. The carrier is undergoing scheduled maintenance, according to the U.S. Navy.
People's Liberation Army Navy
CNS Liaoning: Bohai Sea
The Liaoning was training in the Bohai Sea off northeastern China on Friday, according to satellite photos. It is believed to have departed its home port of Qingdao in China's eastern Shandong province the previous day.
CNS Shandong: Philippine Sea
According to the Japanese Defense Ministry, the Shandong was spotted in waters east of Luzon, the Philippines' largest island in the north, on Wednesday. The deployment may be a response to ongoing U.S.-Philippines military exercises.
CNS Fujian: Shanghai
There was no reported movement of the Fujian, China's most advanced but yet-to-be-commissioned aircraft carrier. It was last seen at Jiangnan Shipyard in Shanghai in eastern China.
Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force
JS Kaga: Kure, Japan
The Kaga remained docked at a naval base in Kure in southwestern Japan, according to publicly available ship-tracking data. The helicopter destroyer is undergoing conversion into Japan's first aircraft carrier since World War II.
JS Izumo: Yokohama, Japan
Japanese media has reported that the Izumo, the Kaga's sister ship, will remain at a shipyard in Yokohama near Tokyo until 2027, when it will be converted into an aircraft carrier, too.
Indian Navy
INS Vikrant: Arabian Sea
The Vikrant was spotted in the Arabian Sea, in the northern Indian Ocean, off the coast of Karwar in western India on Wednesday, according to satellite imagery.
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This story was originally published April 25, 2025 at 9:25 AM.
