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Ian Ellis Profile picture
@ianellisjones
Apr 11, 2023 • 19 tweets • 10 min read • Read on X
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Tracking @USNavy Assets in the Pacific April 3-10 🇺🇸

- Nimitz CSG transits to the Eastern Coast of Taiwan from South Korea
- Makin ARG to Western Philippines from Busan, S. Korea
- Carl Vinson CSG moves to Eastern Pacific from San Diego
- USS Milius passes Mischief Reef in FoN Image
The USS Nimitz (CVN-68) Carrier Strike Group is underway in the Philippine Sea, reportedly operating East of Taiwan, after completing a large anti-submarine warfare exercise with the South Korean & Japanese navies on April 4.
The Makin Island (LHD-8) Amphibious Ready Group (ARG) is now operating in the South China Sea, ~West of Manila. It transited over the past week from Busan, South Korea, for planned exercises with the Philippines navy.
The USS Milius (DDG-69), a guided-missile destroyer, passed within 12 nautical miles of China’s Mischief Reef artificial island installation & military infrastructure, which lies in the Philippines’ Economic Zone (and also claimed by Vietnam & Taiwan).
The USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70) Carrier Strike Group is underway in the Eastern Pacific, conducting drills in preparation for an upcoming deployment. One week ago, it was operating outside Naval Base San Diego.

The CSG completed its ratings & will join 7th Fleet operations as CSG1. ImageImage
According to open source intelligence, the US Navy was operating at least two P-8 “Poseidon” Maritime Patrol & Anti-Submarine Aircraft and one USAF RC-135V “Rivet Joint” Signal Intelligence Platform off the Southern and Eastern coasts of Taiwan.
A US Marine Corps Cessna UC-35, used for the “Time Sensitive Shipment” of Personnel & Cargo left Okinawa, Japan headed Southwest towards the Philippines.

“From April 11-28, 17K members of the Philippines and US military will participate in an annual bilateral exercise.”
The PLAN’s CNS Shandong (17) Carrier Strike Group transited the Bashi Channel & has been operating off of Taiwan’s East coast.

The Nimitz CSG is also nearby in the vicinity of Taiwan. Two defense officials told USNI there have been no reported unsafe interactions. Image
The USS Ronald Reagan (CVN-76) CSG, the only forward deployed aircraft carrier group, remains in port in Yokosuka, Japan.

The USS America (LHA-6) Amphibious Ready Group (ARG) is in Sasebo, Japan.
The map below shows PLAN activity as part of the Eastern Theatre Command’s “Joint Sword” drills from April 8-10.

As of Monday, there were 12 PLAN warships and more than 90 aircraft operating in the vicinity of Taiwan, according to officials in Taipei.
The Makin Island ARG—with the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit embarked—is operating in the SCS ahead of this week’s Balikatan exercise.

17K personnel will train together for maritime security, amphibious operations, live-fire training, & more—a marked expansion from 9K in 2022. Image
FYI–Thread tracking movement of USN assets during PLAN drills: @Jkylebass @sentdefender @DefenseBulletin @WarintheFuture @tshugart3 @RealCynicalFox @anderscorr @heldavidson @ForkFliedLice @HelloMrBond @MarioNawfal @pete_gb @codeofvets @ElbridgeColby @CovertShores @VonClownsewitz
The Nimitz CSG is conducting multi-domain and integrated operations in the Philippine Sea as of April 11.

“We’re here not only to reassure our allies and partners of our unwavering commitment to the rules-based international order, but to work alongside them with a shared… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
Map showing encounters between ships in Taiwan’s contiguous zone on April 10 (unconfirmed):
PLAN ships that participated in the exercises (unconfirmed):
As of April 11, satellite imagery shows the CNS Shandong aircraft carrier operating within 200 nautical miles of Taiwan’s east coast.
As of April 14, the Nimitz aircraft carrier continues routine operations in the Philippine Sea.
As of April 13, the USS Milius was underway in the South China Sea.

On April 10, the Milius asserted navigational rights and freedoms in the SCS near the Spratly Islands & Mischief Reef (where China has established artificial military infrastructure).
On Monday April 16, the US Navy sent the USS Milius destroyer through the Taiwan Strait.

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More from @ianellisjones

Ian Ellis Profile picture
Feb 2
Many Middle East developments over the past week as the U.S. military buildup continues:

- Additional strike assets en route (F-35As in Rota, EA-18Gs in CENTCOM)
- NSA Bahrain cleared out: all forward-deployed ships (LCS, USCG) got underway
- Deploying THAAD battery + Patriots
- Movement at Diego Garcia
- RC-135 Rivet Joint operating out of KSA
- ABECSG on station in the northern Arabian Sea
- Iran cancels naval drills following CENTCOM warning

More info and sources (recommend following) below.Image
Air assets: @DEFENCEGEEK, @ARMCHAIRADML, @THEINTELFROG, @VCDGF555, @STEFFANWATKINS

Satellite imagery analysis: @FAYTUKSNETWORK, @GEOPOLITICJOSH, @GEODESICRADOME

With help from @SCHIZOINTEL, @LATAMMILMVMTS, @MT_ANDERSON, @EZEGSM3, @MERCOGLIANOS,@SA_DEFENSA, @__CJOHNSTON__, @BYCHRISGORDON

Base map: @RHODESMAPS

Created by @iejmedia. Subscribe for access to database and interactive fleet tracker.

Previous EUCOM-CENTCOM update for reference:
Last week, USAF tankers dragged 6x VTANG F-35As and 6x USN EA-18Gs across the Atlantic to bases in Europe. The 158 Fighter Wing and Electronic Attack Squadron (VAQ) 132 were both forward deployed to Puerto Rico supporting SOUTHCOM ops.

Daily updates on air activity via @DefenceGeek:
Read 6 tweets
Ian Ellis Profile picture
Jan 22
The U.S. military is rapidly expanding its footprint in the Middle East, moving additional fighter aircraft, ships, air defense, and support assets into the region.

- The Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group is in the Indian Ocean and will soon enter the U.S. 5th Fleet/Central Command AOR
- Three F-15E Strike Eagle squadrons now forward deployed
- Increased KC-135 and C-17 flights supporting the buildup
- Patriot and THAAD air defense systems reportedly en route

Snapshot ahead of Abe’s arrival in theater:Image
Tap and hold to load/save in 4K. Track the entire Navy fleet at @iejmedia.

If you’re interested in this stuff, I suggest following @TheIntelFrog, @Schizointel, @LATAMMILMVMTS, @MT_Anderson, @mercoglianos, @vcdgf555, @SA_Defensa, @__CJohnston__, @DefenceGeek, @ByChrisGordon, @sentdefender, @ezegsm3, @EndGameWW3, @steffanwatkins
“A dozen F-15Es assigned to the 494th Fighter Squadron at RAF Lakenheath, U.K., departed on Jan. 18, headed towards the Middle East, supported by KC-135 Stratotanker aerial refueling aircraft, according to flight tracking data.

U.S. Central Command, which oversees U.S. forces in the region, confirmed the squadron’s presence in the Middle East with an official photo posted on social media Jan. 20. C-17 Globemaster III cargo aircraft have also flown from Britain to the Middle East on missions that appear to be supporting the fighter squadron’s deployment.

…

With the addition of another F-15E squadron, the U.S. now has three Strike Eagle squadrons known to be deployed to the region, according to open-source flight tracking data and recent official U.S. military imagery.

The F-15E squadrons that were already deployed to the Middle East are from Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, N.C., and Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho. Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcons and A-10 Thunderbolt II attack planes are also known to be deployed to the region.”
@ByChrisGordon @ASForcesMag
Read 7 tweets
Ian Ellis Profile picture
Jan 4
During the darkest hours of 2 and 3 January, the U.S. conducted operation “Absolute Resolve,” a discreet, precise mission to apprehend Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro.

The special operations extraction force, escorted by a U.S. Navy, Marine, and Air Force protection package, arrived in downtown Caracas while maintaining the element of tactical surprise, successfully took Maduro into custody, and exfiltrated safely.

A comprehensive review of everything we know to date:
w/ @SA_Defensa, @LatAmMilMVMTs, @__CJohnston__Image
At 22:46 EST on 2 January 2026,  after  "patiently waiting for the right triggers to be met... the weather broke just enough" and POTUS ordered the U.S. military to move forward with operation “Absolute Resolve.”
“Over the course of the night, aircraft began launching from 20 different bases, on land and sea, across the Western Hemisphere. In total, more than 150 aircraft, bombers, fighters, intel, recon, and rotary wing aircraft were in the air.”

The 150+ aircraft worked in “close coordination, all coming together... to layer effects for a single purpose: to get an interdiction force into downtown Caracas while maintaining the element of tactical surprise.”

As the operation began, the helicopters with the extraction force, which included law enforcement officers, took off and began their flight into Venezuela at 100 feet above the water. “As they approached Venezuelan shores, the U.S. began layering different effects provided by SPACECOM, CYBERCOM, and other members of the interagency to create a pathway.”

Overhead, the extraction forces were protected by aircraft from the U.S. Marines, U.S. Navy, U.S. Air Force, and the Air National Guard. The protection package included F-22s, F-35As, F-35Bs, F/A-18E/Fs, EA-18Gs, E-2Ds, B-1B bombers, and other support aircraft, as well as numerous remotely piloted drones.

As the package approached Caracas, the joint air component “began dismantling and disabling the air defense systems, employing weapons to ensure the safe passage of the helicopters into the target area.”

Delta Force arrived at Maduro’s compound at 01:01 AM EST (02:01 AM local time) on 3 January and descended into the compound. “While apprehending the indicted persons on arrival into the target area, the helicopters came under fire and they replied with overwhelming force in self-defense.”

Maduro and his wife surrendered and were taken into custody by the Department of Justice, assisted by the U.S. military, with no loss of U.S. life. After securing Maduro, the force began to prepare for departure “Helicopters were called in to exfiltrate the extraction force while fighter aircraft and remotely piloted aircraft provided overhead coverage and suppressive fire. There were multiple self-defense engagements. As the force began to withdraw out of Venezuela, the force successfully exfiltrated and returned to their afloat launch bases, and the force was over the water.”

By 03:29 AM EST, the 160 SOAR MH-47G Chinook transporting the VIP touched down on amphibious assault ship USS Iwo Jima (LHD 7) in the Caribbean Sea. LHD 7, with its air combat element (ACE) practicing agile combat employment (ACE) in Puerto Rico, has served as a mobile hub for special operations forces in USSOUTHCOM.

One helo was hit during the engagement, but remained operational, and all aircraft made it home safely. Source: Gen. Dan Caine, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Read 5 tweets
Ian Ellis Profile picture
Dec 30, 2025
Over the past 48 hours, China surrounded Taiwan and executed large-scale live-fire military exercises featuring simulated decapitation strikes and the seizure of key ports.

“It is a noose-style blockade. The operational scope is no longer limited to symbolic, isolated shows of force, but has evolved into a coordinated and interconnected blockade network, practicing the tactics to choke off the island’s vital supply lines,” the official PLA press account stated bluntly.

With a potential Day 3 on the horizon, here’s everything you might have missed:Image
For easier viewing, press and hold to load in 4K. Special thanks to @SinoTalk and @songs349.

>>On the morning of 29 December, PLA Eastern Theater Command launched joint military exercises in and around the Taiwan Strait, dubbed “Justice Mission 2025,” and deployed air and naval forces “to approach Taiwan Island in close proximity from different directions”

The PLA Army, Navy, Air Force, and Rocket Force participated. The stated objectives at the outset included:

- Blockade on key ports and areas
- Seizure of comprehensive superiority
- Joint sea-air combat readiness patrols
- All-dimensional deterrence outside the first island chain (new language)
The PRC designated seven exercise zones in the Taiwan Strait and areas to the north, southwest, southeast, and east of Taiwan. From 09:00 to 11:00, the PLA established an 8th training area to the east of Taiwan (per @MoNDefense).
Read 9 tweets
Ian Ellis Profile picture
Dec 8, 2025
Confirmed today: The Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group, currently sailing west in the Pacific on a surge deployment, chopped into U.S. 7th Fleet.

Amphibious assault ship USS Tripoli (LHA 7) entered the South China Sea and recently stopped in Da Nang.

New INDOPACOM snapshot: Image
ABECSG arrives in the region amid heavy Chinese PLA Navy activity:
Lincoln + Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 21 moved from 3rd to 7th Fleet sometime between 4 and 8 December, per DVIDS. Image
Image
Read 5 tweets
Ian Ellis Profile picture
Dec 6, 2025
As of yesterday, Reuters reports that 90+ Chinese ships are operating in the region - down from 100+ earlier this week - surpassing China's "mass naval deployment in December last year" in the "largest maritime show of force to date."

A high-level visual (notes + sources below): Image
“The Chinese ships have massed in waters stretching from the southern part of the Yellow Sea through the East China Sea and down into the contested South China Sea, as well as into the Pacific, according to four security officials in the region.

Their accounts were corroborated by intelligence reports from a country in the region, which detailed the deployment. Reuters reviewed the reports on condition it did not name the country.

As of Thursday morning, there are more than 90 Chinese ships operating in the region, coming down from more than 100 at one point earlier this week, the documents showed.

The operations exceed China's mass naval deployment in December last year that prompted Taiwan to raise its alert level, the sources said.”
The Hainan amphibious task group was last spotted ~500nm north of Palau. Australia is closely tracking the ATG but it’s unclear how far south the group will transit. @SinoTalk unpacks why the PLA might conduct a second circumnavigation op and what it would look like:
Read 7 tweets

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