NATO is bolstering its presence in the Western Pacific by sending warships to more places, a move that risks stoking tensions with China, which is worried about the alliance’s growing influence in the region.
The latest entrant is the Italian aircraft carrier Cavour, the first time Rome has deployed its lone carrier to the Pacific. The Cavour and an Italian frigate recently held exercises with the U.S. carrier USS Abraham Lincoln near the island of Guam. A day later, F-35 stealth jets and AV-8B Harriers launched from the Cavour practiced shooting down airborne targets.
"This is a demonstration, above all, of our ability to project power anywhere,” said Rear Adm. Giancarlo Ciappina, the commander of the Cavour carrier strike group.