The USS George Washington arrived in Manila today for a routine port call that highlights the historic and military connections between the Philippines and the United States.

  The USS George Washington was one of the first U.S. ships to respond to the Government of the Philippines’ request for humanitarian assistance and disaster relief after Typhoon Yolanda.  The George Washington and her fellow ships provided more than 335,000 liters of water and 36,360 kilos of food and supplies in support of relief efforts.

  Recently, the BRP Gregorio del Pilar (PF 15) of the Philippine Navy joined the George Washington Carrier Strike Group off the coast of the Philippines from October 22-23 to conduct maneuvering, communications and gunnery exercises to further enhance their ability to work together and demonstrate their commitment to the U.S. - Philippines alliance.

  Commissioned July 4, 1992, the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier George Washington is the fourth ship to bear the name and is forward deployed to the 7th Fleet area of operations, operating from Yokosuka, Japan.  George Washington is commanded by Capt. Greg Fenton, with its embarked air wing, Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 5, commanded by Capt. William Koyama, is crewed by approximately 5,500 sailors, of whom 320 are Filipino-American.