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| USS John C. Stennis |
By Jun Ji-hye
The United States Navy has deployed another nuclear-powered aircraft carrier to East Asia in an apparent show of force to North Korea and to show support for its allies on the issue of disputed islands in the South China Sea.
According to the U.S. Navy, the USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74) departed its homeport of Naval Base Kitsap at Bremerton, Wash., on Friday for a seven month deployment in the Western Pacific.
Ministry of National Defense spokesman Kim Min-seok also confirmed the deployment on Tuesday, noting that "The carrier is one of the strategic assets of the U.S. forces, and talks between South Korea and the U.S. are underway over whether to deploy the aircraft carrier to the Korean Peninsula."
The U.S. Navy also said the crew of the Stennis expects to participate in a number of exercises, including training, integrating and building capacity with allies within the Western Pacific area.
The deployment came after North Korea claimed to have successfully detonated a hydrogen bomb during a fourth nuclear test on Jan. 6.
The Stennis is the second aircraft carrier deployed to the area after the USS Ronald Reagan stationed at a U.S. naval base in Yokosuka, Japan.
Defense observers here said that it is rare for the U.S. Navy to deploy two nuclear-powered carriers to the region at the same time. Although it is a regularly scheduled deployment decided before the North's provocation, the deployment of the Stennis is still expected to put pressure on North Korea not to pursue additional provocations, they noted.
The U.S. Navy said the deployment is part of an ongoing rotation of U.S. forces supporting maritime security operations in waters around the world, adding that the crew of the Stennis has spent 56 percent of the past year underway preparing for this deployment to the Western Pacific area of operations.
"Deploying is the culmination of our training," Capt. Mike Wettlaufer, Stennis' commanding officer, was quoted as saying by the U.S. Navy. "This crew has attacked every challenge thrown their way, and as we leave to answer our nation's call, I couldn't be any prouder of them. We are ready."
The Stennis is the seventh Nimitz-class nuclear-powered supercarrier in the U.S. Navy, which was commissioned in 1995, named for Senator John C. Stennis of Mississippi. It is capable of carrying some 90 fighter jets including F-18s and 6500 officers and crew.
A day after the North's claimed H-bomb test, U.S. Defense Secretary Ashton Carter assured South Korea of his country's "ironclad" commitment to defending South Korea from Pyongyang's nuclear threats, during a phone conversation with Seoul's Defense Minister Han Min-koo.
On Jan. 10, the U.S. Air Force sent a B-52 Stratofortress strategic bomber from Andersen Air Force Base in Guam to South Korea in a show of force to the North. The B-52 bomber is capable of destroying the North's underground facilities, including its nuclear test sites.
There is also growing expectation that the USS Ronald Reagan may participate in Foal Eagle, a combined field training exercise, which takes place in March, aimed at deterring Pyongyang's military aggression.
Follow Jun Ji-hye on Twitter @TheKopJihye
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