Japanese fighter jets take part in joint operation with ‘Trump’s armada’ off the coast of North Korea – but US Navy officials insist they are not trying to intimidate Kim Jong-un
US aircraft carriers the USS Carl Vinson and USS Ronald Reagan are taking part in joint exercises
It’s the first time the US and Japan have carried out such training since the 1990s
US officials say it is not an effort to intimidate North Korean leader Kim Jong-un
The exercise came two days after the US tested it’s long-range missile system
They shot down a fake nuclear bomb to see if they would be ready to counter a threat from North Korea
By DAVE BURKE
DailyMail.com
2 June 2017
US warships are carrying out training exercises close to the coast of North Korea along with the Japanese military for the first time in 20 years.
But officials have claimed they are not attempting to intimidate Kim Jong-un’s secretive state, amid warnings from China over provocation.
The exercise came just two days after The Pentagon tested its missile capability by intercepting a fake nuclear bomb over the Pacific Ocean in response to claims the communist state is building its own long-range weapons.
The two US aircraft carriers – the USS Carl Vinson and the USS Ronald Reagan – are taking part in three days of joint exercises, which began yesterday.
It is the first such wargames held since the 1990s.
David Helvey, senior adviser on Asia policy to US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, told reporters that the dual carrier exercise is not intended as a provocation.
He called it routine but acknowledged that it is the first of its kind in about 20 years. The exercises are intended to reassure allies, he said, and to keep US forces ready for any crisis.
‘This is not about sending a message directly to North Korea,’ Helvey said, adding, ‘I don’t expect this to change North Korea’s behavior.’
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