The Navy has 2 new ships operating in the South China Sea to send a message to China

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Business Insider

• Two US Navy Independence-class littoral combat ships — the USS Gabrielle Giffords and USS Montgomery — have been operating in the disputed waters of the South China Sea.
• US Defense Secretary Mark Esper says those operations have been stepped up to send a signal that China should "abide by international rules."
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The US Navy is strengthening its presence in the South China Sea by deploying two Independence-class ships specialising in near-shore operations.

This deployment of the littoral combat ships suggested that the US strategy had switched from reconnaissance and deterrence to increasing its attack capability, a Beijing-based think tank said.

The USS Gabrielle Giffords left Singapore's Changi naval base on a mission on November 15, according to ship tracking information, while the USS Montgomery conducted a joint operation with two Australian warships between November 6 and 12.