...Patrols such as the one made by the Stennis Carrier Strike Group are intended to assure allies and regional partners that the U.S. is committed to their interests in the region, said Bryan Clark, a retired submarine officer and analyst with the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments. "Nobody in Beijing thinks that the United States doesn't care about what's happening in the South China Sea, but they might tell our allies that," he said. "They might say, 'Hey, you say the U.S. has your back but we don't ever see them around here.'"
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