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Here's how the US military is sticking it to Beijing in the South China Sea

Six countries claim parts of the South China Sea, and the US isn't one. But the US doesn't need a dog in the race to stand up for freedom of navigation.

Sailors aboard the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson.

China has for years been whittling away at the US military's asymmetrical advantage in conventional military strength with a naval buildup, building and militarizing artificial islands in the South China Sea, and creating systems and weapons custom built to negate the US's technological advantage.

By all indications, China is building aircraft carriers and getting ready to place surface-to-air missiles deep into the South China Sea.

Meanwhile, China's neighbors have grown increasingly worried and timid as it cements a land grab in a shipping lane that sees $5 trillion in annual trade and has billions in resources, like oil, waiting to be exploited.

Six countries lay claim to parts of the South China Sea, and the US isn't one of them. But the US doesn't need a dog in this fight to stand up for freedom of navigation and international law.

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Here's how the US counters China in the region.

For the US, checking Beijing in the Pacific often means sailing carrier strike groups through the region — something the Navy has done for decades, whether China protests or not.

As Navy Vice Adm. Joseph Aucoin, commander of 7th Fleet, said recently at a military conference: "We’re going to fly, sail, operate wherever international law allows."

The strike group has plenty of aircraft along with them, like this A F/A-18E Super Hornet and a nuclear-capable B-1B Lancer from Guam.

Unlike submarines and ICBMs buried under land or sea, the US's strategic, nuclear-capable bombers make up the most visible leg of the nuclear triad. Placing a handful of B-1Bs in Guam sends a message to the region.

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Here's the US's entire strategic bomber force lined up in Guam, representing more than 60 years bomber dominance.

It also doesn't hurt when the US Navy shows off its complete mastery of carrier-based aircraft. There are F-18 pilots in the Navy that likely have more carrier landings than the entire Chinese navy combined.

Those jets benefit from the support of about 7,000 sailors on the ship, who keep them running around the clock.

Airborne early warning and control planes like the E-2 Hawkeye use massive radars to act as the eyes and ears of the fleet. Not much gets past them.

But carriers don't sail alone either. Here a guided missile destroyer knocks through some rough seas accompanying the Vinson.

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The US Navy may be the most professional in the world, with a very serious mission in the South China Sea, but they still make time for a swim on one of the US's newest combat ships, the USS Coronado.

The Coronado doesn't look like an aircraft carrier, but it does have serious airpower in the form of a MH-60S Seahawk with twin .50 caliber door guns.

But the key to the US's success in far away waters is allies. The US doesn't do anything alone, if you're noticing a pattern here. Here US and Royal Brueni Navy sailors practice boarding a ship.

In February, US Marines partnered up with Japanese self-defense forces to practice amphibious landings — a skill that may one day come in handy on artificial islands.

Sometimes working with allies means getting down and dirty. Here a Seabee gets neck deep in Japan.

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The bottom line is that the US military has decades of experience sailing, training, and fighting with its allies in the Pacific. China has come a long way in shifting the balance of power in the region, but the US remains on top — for now.

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