By Jun Ji-hye
Three U.S. aircraft carriers and their strike groups will soon begin rare combined exercises in waters near the Korea Peninsula while President Donald Trump is traveling in Asia, the U.S. Navy announced Thursday.
The three carriers ― USS Ronald Reagan, USS Nimitz and USS Theodore Roosevelt ― are also set to train together with the South Korean Navy in the East Sea, according to Seoul’s Ministry of National Defense.
The U.S. 7th Fleet said the three-carrier strike force exercise will take place in the Western Pacific from Saturday to Tuesday.
“It is a rare opportunity to train with two aircraft carriers together, and even rarer to be able to train with three,” said U.S. Pacific Fleet Commander, Adm. Scott Swift. “Multiple carrier strike force operations are very complex, and this exercise in the Western Pacific is a strong testament to the U.S. Pacific Fleet’s unique ability and ironclad commitment to the continued security and stability of the region.”
The strike forces will conduct air defense drills, sea surveillance, replenishments at sea, defensive air combat training and close-in coordinated maneuvers, the 7th Fleet noted.
It will mark the first time that three carrier strike groups have operated together in the Western Pacific since exercises Valiant Shield in 2006 and 2007 off the coast of Guam, it added.
For his part, defense ministry spokesman Moon Sang-gyun said consultation between Seoul and Washington are currently ongoing to schedule their combined naval drills in the East Sea.
“We will let you know once the consultations have been finalized,” he said.
Moon added that a trilateral drill between South Korea, the United States and Japan is not part of the plan.
The rare exercise comes as President Trump has been conducting his Asian tour from Nov. 3 to 14 that includes South Korea, Japan, China, Vietnam and the Philippines.
During his speech given to the South Korean National Assembly, Wednesday, Trump said, “Currently stationed in the vicinity of this peninsula are the three largest aircraft carriers in the world loaded to the maximum with magnificent F-35 and F-18 fighter jets. In addition, we have nuclear submarines appropriately positioned.”
Trump also said, “When I say to the North: Do not underestimate us, and do not try us. We will defend our common security, our shared prosperity, and our sacred liberty.”
President Trump is reportedly considering observing the rare exercise from on board one of the carriers.
Military officials here said the exercise will have a considerable effect in pressuring the Kim Jong-un regime.
After conducting two intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) tests in July, the Kim regime has been claiming that it is capable of striking targets on the U.S. mainland with an ICBM carrying a nuclear warhead.