With a deafening roar, the fighter jets catapulted off the USS Carl Vinson and soared above the heavily disputed South China Sea, as the aircraft carrier’s admiral vowed that the mighty warship’s presence was proof the United States still had regional clout. "US presence matters,” Rear Adm. John Fuller told reporters on board the aircraft carrier. “I think it’s very clear that we are in the South China Sea. The Carl Vinson, one of the US Navy’s longest-serving active carriers, is currently conducting what officials say is a routine mission through the hotly contested waters where years of artificial island building and military construction by China has rattled regional nerves.

Dizon, N. (2018, February 16). US presence matters, says aircraft carrier’s admiral. Philippine Daily Inquirer, p. A10.