Carl Vinson Carrier Strike Group in Guam after trilateral drills

The Carl Vinson Carrier Strike Group, with up to 7,500 sailors, docked in Guam for a scheduled port visit on March 24 following a trilateral naval exercise with the Republic of Korea Navy, and Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force.

The three-day drill, conducted March 18–20, focused on maritime interdiction operations, air combat drills, and advanced communications to enhance interoperability, according to the Navy.

The Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson, left, sails in formation with the Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Princeton, Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers USS Sterett and USS Ralph Johnson, Sejong the Great-class destroyer ROKS Sejong the Great, Chungmugong Yi Sun-sin-class destroyer ROKS Dae Jo-yeong, and Murasame-class destroyer JS Ikazuchi at sea during a trilateral naval exercise, March 18, 2025. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Apprentice Pablo Chavez

Rear Adm. Michael Wosje, commander of CSG1, said the port visit to Guam is part of the group’s routine presence in the 7th Fleet area of operations. The stop is also an opportunity to recharge and resupply. While in port, sailors will be able to take advantage of base amenities and enjoy time to explore the island’s culture and cuisine, officials said.

The USS Carl Vinson Strike Group was in Guam in February as part of the same deployment to the western Pacific and the wider U.S. Pacific Fleet-led initiative to extend the command and control functions of the U.S. 3rd Fleet in the Indo-Asia-Pacific region.

Military spending in Guam has helped keep the economy rolling in spite of lagging tourism numbers that has been slow to return to pre-COVID numbers, in part due to the natural disasters, the weakened yen, inflation in the U.S., and other hurdles. mbj

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Scholars, community leaders, veterans, and former refugees gathered at the Guam Museum Theater in Hagåtña on July 26, for a public forum marking the 50th anniversary of Operation New Life, a massive U.S. military-led evacuation effort that brought more than 110,000 Vietnamese refugees through Guam in 1975 following the fall of Saigon.

Carl Vinson Carrier Strike Group in Guam after trilateral drills