TOKYO -- The U.S. Navy will use the combined power of its Pacific Fleet -- the 7th Fleet and the 3rd Fleet -- to counter rising uncertainty in Asia, a senior naval officer told the Nikkei Asian Review on Tuesday.
"This is real. The commitment of the 3rd Fleet [operating] forward is real," said Adm. Scott Swift, the four-star commander of the Pacific Fleet in an exclusive interview during his visit to Japan. The 7th Fleet, based in Yokosuka, and the 3rd Fleet, based in the U.S. city of San Diego, are separated by the international date line near Hawaii. The 3rd Fleet is mainly tasked with protecting the U.S. homeland, while the 7th Fleet is responsible for everything between Hawaii and the India-Pakistan border, including the hotly contested South China Sea.
