Alex Wilson

Alex Wilson covers the U.S. Navy and other services from Yokosuka Naval Base, Japan. Originally from Knoxville, Tenn., he holds a journalism degree from the University of North Florida. He previously covered crime and the military in Key West, Fla., and business in Jacksonville, Fla.

@AlexMNWilson

wilson.alex@stripes.com

The guided-missile destroyer USS Benfold steams in formation with the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan in the Philippine Sea on June 4, 2022.

Navy destroyer in South China Sea after Taiwan Strait flyover by recon plane

The guided-missile destroyer USS Benfold, homeported at Yokosuka, entered the South China Sea over the weekend.

Airmen conduct preflight inspection on three Air Force F-22 Raptors during Agile Combat Employment training at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan, June 22, 2022.

Raptors, Lightning IIs ‘critically important’ deterrence factors, says INDOPACOM chief

This satellite image from Planet Labs PBC shows construction of China's Type 003 aircraft carrier at the Jiangnan Shipyard northeast of Shanghai, China, May 8, 2022.

China’s newest carrier is for regional domination, not contesting the US Navy, experts say

Ships with the USS Abraham Lincoln and USS Ronald Reagan aircraft carrier strike groups steam through the Philippine Sea during the Valiant Shield exercise on June 12, 2022.

US ends naval exercise with target practice as Chinese, Russians cruise off Japan

Ridge Hannemann Alkonis, then a junior-grade lieutenant, works aboard the guided-missile destroyer USS Fitzgerald in the Timor Sea, July 9, 2015.

Petition for Navy officer facing prison in Japan alleges mistreatment by police, prosecutors

A petition seeking the release of a U.S. Navy officer convicted of killing two people in a 2021 vehicular accident near Mount Fuji alleges he was mistreated by Japanese police and denied a fair trial.

Seaman Xi Chan stands lookout on the destroyer USS Barry as it passes through the Taiwan Strait on April 23, 2020.

China asserts jurisdiction over Taiwan Strait, shuns ‘international waters’ stance by US

By claiming the Taiwan Strait as its own, China may be laying a basis to deny U.S. warships access to those waters, an expert said.

Navy Lt. Ridge Hanneman Alkonis crashed his car into pedestrians and parked vehicles at a soba restaurant parking lot in Fujinomiya, Japan, May 29, 2021.

Japanese appellate court hears Navy officer’s plea for lower sentence in crash deaths

Lt. Ridge Alkonis expressed remorse in a Japanese courtroom during a short appellate hearing and said he prayed for the victims “every single day.”

Navy officer appeals 3-year Japanese prison term for fatal crash last year

Lt. Ridge Alkonis was driving with his family on May 29, 2021, when he crashed into pedestrians and parked vehicles at a soba restaurant parking lot about two hours from Yokosuka Naval Base.

The amphibious assault ship USS Tripoli arrives at Yokosuka Naval Base, Japan, May 29, 2022, the second stop of its maiden deployment to the Indo-Pacific region.

Navy’s newest amphibious assault ship visits 7th Fleet’s homeport in Japan

The U.S. Navy’s newest flat-deck amphibious assault ship steamed into Tokyo Bay on Sunday, the second port visit of its maiden deployment in the Indo-Pacific.

U.S. and Japanese sailors compete in a tug-of-war competition during Fleet Week Japan at Yokosuka Naval Base, May 25, 2022.

US and Japanese sailors strengthen ties during second annual Fleet Week Japan

Sailors from the US Navy and Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force teamed up for a week of contests and activities at naval bases around Japan.

More than 130 students graduate from Nile C. Kinnick High School at Yokosuka Naval Base, Japan, Thursday, May 26, 2022.

Nearly 850 high school seniors are joining DODEA-Pacific’s 75th graduating class

Department of Defense Education Activity-Pacific high schools began their graduations on May 25.

A Marine Corps F-35B Lightning II stealth fighter taxis the runway at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan, Feb. 4, 2022.

Marine Corps now has 2 fully operational F-35B stealth fighter squadrons in Japan

A second squadron of F-35B Lightning IIs is fully operational at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, bringing the total number of stealth fighters there to 32.

Sailors perform ground turns on an MQ-8C Fire Scout unmanned helicopter aboard the littoral combat ship USS Jackson in the South China Sea, April 29, 2022.

Unmanned helicopters are at work in Indo-Pacific after one-year operational pause

The MQ-8C Fire Scout, an autonomous helicopter with the ability to take off and land on warships capable of carrying aircraft, went to sea aboard the USS Jackson in April, said manufacturer Northrop Grumman.

Sailors work aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln upon the aircraft carrier’s arrival at Yokosuka Naval Base, Japan, Saturday, May 21, 2022.

USS Abraham Lincoln arrives in Japan for port call ahead of presidential visit

The Lincoln, on patrol since leaving San Diego on Jan. 3, is making a port call for ship-board maintenance and to provide the crew some downtime.

Friends and family members wave goodbye as the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan sets out for patrol from Yokosuka Naval Base, Japan, Friday, May 20, 2022.

USS Ronald Reagan departs Japan for a routine mission in a complicated region

Approximately 120 people – sailors and family members – gathered pierside and waved goodbye to those aboard the massive warship.

President Joe Biden will meet with the leaders of key allies in the Indo-Pacific region to reaffirm the U.S. commitment to security there, as global attention and NATO resources flow into Ukraine to counter the three-month-old Russian invasion.

Busy agenda awaits Biden on his first presidential trip to South Korea and Japan

South Korea has a plan to protect President Joe Biden in case the North tests a nuclear weapon or ballistic missile during the initial leg of his first presidential trip to Asia, according to the White House.

Navy Capt. Steven Stasick, of Marine Corps Marianas, discusses various building projects with members of the Guam Chamber of Commerce at Camp Blaz, April 20, 2022.

Navy awarded nearly $500 million for Guam construction projects over past month

The Navy awarded $250 million in contracts for construction at Camp Blaz over the past month and another $236 million for work at other Guam bases.

Marine Col. Neil Owens, left, relieves Col. Robert Bodisch as commander of Combined Arms Training Center Camp Fuji, Japan, Tuesday, May 17, 2022.

Marines swap commanders for combat training center near Mount Fuji

Col. Robert Bodisch finished his three years as commander of the Marine Corps’ expansive training center at the base of Mount Fuji on Tuesday, a term that included a number of “Fuji Firsts.”

Club 54, a bar not far from the main gate of Yokosuka Naval Base, Japan, was placed off-limits to uniformed troops for at least 90 days, Friday, May 13, 2022.

Navy base in Japan places nightclub off-limits following reports of ‘illicit activity’

Sailors and other uniformed service members will be barred from patronizing Club 54 in Yokosuka’s Honcho district for at least 90 days, U.S. 7th Fleet said.

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