The US assault ship America, built to accommodate the Marine Corp's vertical takeoff and landing version of the fifth generation F-35 fighter jet, joined the US 7th Fleet in Sasebo Japan after transiting the Pacific Ocean, the Navy announced in a press release on Monday
WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 06th December, 2019) The US assault ship America, built to accommodate the Marine Corp's vertical takeoff and landing version of the fifth generation F-35 fighter jet, joined the US 7th Fleet in Sasebo Japan after transiting the Pacific Ocean, the Navy announced in a press release on Monday."We're looking forward to integrating America's flexible and adaptable fifth generation capabilities into theater to maintain peace and stability and contribute to the prosperity and security of the Indo-Pacific," America's commanding officer, Captain Luke Frost, said in the release.
America was designed from inception to maximize the capabilities of the US Marine Corp's F-35B Joint Strike Fighter, the release said.
America replaces the USS Wasp as the US 7th Fleet's forward-deployed amphibious assault carrier, the release added.
The 7th Fleet area of responsibility in the Indian and Pacific Oceans encompasses 36 maritime countries - including US adversaries China and North Korea - with about 50 percent of the world's population, according to the release.
