U.S. Navy aircraft attached to Carrier Air Wing 5, and U.S. Air Force F-35A Lightning IIs fly over the George Washington Carrier Strike Group as it sails in formation with the Japan Maritime Self- Defense Force as part of Valiant Shield 2026 in the Philippine Sea, June 21, 2026. (Tyler Crowley/U.S. Navy)
The aircraft carrier USS George Washington and its escorts joined Japanese warships over the weekend in the Philippine Sea, putting allied naval power on display as the U.S. and Japan opened exercise Valiant Shield.
The exercise, in its 11th iteration since 2006, brings allied forces together with all six arms of the U.S. military for drills in the western Pacific, including in and around Guam, Japan and the Northern Mariana Islands, according to a Sunday news release from U.S. Pacific Fleet.
The biennial exercise officially began Monday and continues through July 1, but the George Washington Carrier Strike Group and ships of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force were sailing in formation as early as Saturday, according to imagery posted to the Defense Visual Information Distribution Service website.
“Valiant Shield demonstrates our enduring commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific,” Adm. Steve Koehler, commander of U.S. Pacific Fleet, said in the release. “Exercising advanced multidomain capabilities with our allies ensures we continue to seamlessly innovate and operate together, project combat power together, and prevail over any challenge – together.”
Spokespeople for the George Washington and U.S. Pacific Fleet did not respond to Stars and Stripes’ email requests for comments Monday.
The USS George Washington Carrier Strike Group sails in formation with the Japan Maritime Self- Defense Force as part of Valiant Shield 2026 while underway in the Philippine Sea, June 21, 2026. (Anthony Vilardi/U.S. Navy)
The guided-missile destroyers USS Benfold and USS Shoup, guided-missile cruiser USS Robert Smalls and fast-attack submarine USS Virginia joined the George Washington in the formation.
The Japanese ships included the helicopter destroyer JS Kaga, the guided-missile destroyer JS Fuyuzuki and the attack submarine JS Jingei, according to the photos.
Japan made its second appearance in the exercise; it first participated in 2024. The Air and Ground Self-Defense Forces are also participating, according to a May 22 news release from Japan’s Joint Staff.
About 4,100 Japanese troops, 150 vehicles and 60 aircraft will also take part in the exercise, a Joint Staff spokesman told Stars and Stripes by phone Monday.
The George Washington and its escort ships arrived on June 16 in Guam ahead of the exercise, their first stop since departing their homeport, Yokosuka Naval Base in Japan, on May 10.
“Guam remains a critical nexus for the Navy’s carrier strike groups,” Capt. Nicholas DeLeo, commanding officer of George Washington, said in a June 15 news release. “These Sailors have been working very hard, and I’m excited they have the opportunity to recharge here in Guam before we return to sea, ready to support our mission here in the Indo-Pacific.”
George Washington crewmembers after arriving at the westernmost U.S. territory almost immediately began participating in community relations events, including a road cleanup at Naval Station Guam and a beach cleanup at Taga’chang Beach, about five miles southeast of Hagatna, according to photos from the carrier posted on DVIDS.
