USNI News Top Stories 2020: U.S. Navy Operations December 23, 2020 11:31 AM Boatswain’s Mate (Handling) Airman Oliver Aguirre Torres, from Bloomington, Calif., left, mans the rails as the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71) arrives at Naval Air Station North Island, Calif., on July 9, 2020. US Navy Photo This post is part of a series of stories looking back at the top naval news from 2020. As the U.S. continues to recalculate its strategy to counter Russia and China, naval operations this year focused on maintaining a presence in multiple theaters during a global pandemic. While the Navy continued its sustained carrier presence in the Middle East, the service also conducted operations and exercises throughout the Indo-Pacific region.