CIRSS Researchers with Ms. Sheila Conti of the US Embassy in Manila (standing, left) pose in front of the carrier’s island, where navigation and air traffic control operations are carried out.

The researchers of the FSI’s Center for International Relations and Strategic Studies (CIRSS) had an informative and enjoyable visit to the nuclear-powered supercarrier USS Ronald Reagan (CVN-76) while it was on port call in Manila Bay on 17 October 2022.    

The USS Ronald Reagan is part of the Navy’s Seventh Fleet and is the only forward-deployed aircraft carrier, home-ported in Yokosuka, Japan. The ship provides an immediate combat-ready force to defend the collective maritime interests of the United States’ allies and partners in the Indo-Pacific region. It carries more than seventy (70) aircraft, and ten percent (10%) of its almost five thousand (5000) personnel are of Filipino descent.

The USS Reagan’s visit to Manila reaffirms the enduring close defense and security ties between the Philippines and the United States. It also provided opportunities for its crew to build connections with the Filipino people, learn about Philippine culture and history, and engage in military and community relations activities.

CIRSS researchers interacted with the crew members and learned about their military and civic engagements in the country. Besides routine naval operations in the area as part of a regional patrol, crewmembers are scheduled to do community work with the Philippines’ Habitat for Humanity and visit the Gentle Hands Orphanage in Quezon City.

The USS Ronald Reagan (CVN-76) arrived in Manila on 14 October 2022 for a brief port call.
The USS Reagan carries four (4) squadrons of F/A-18 Super Hornet jets armed with air-to-air missiles and air-to-surface weapons.