US Navy to run rare strike drill in western Pacific as Trump threatens North Korea
THE US Navy is set to carry out an incredibly rare drill involving three aircraft carriers in western Pacific – right in the middle of Donald Trump’s visit to the region.
By Rachel O’Donoghue
DailyStar.co.uk
9th November 2017
The USS Ronald Reagan, USS Nimitz and the USS Theodore Roosevelt will take part in exercises from Saturday to Tuesday.
The strike group will practice everything from air defence drills, sea surveillance and defensive air combat training, to close-in coordinated manoeuvres and replenishments at sea.
The last time a three-carrier group took part in exercises like this was in 2006 and 2007 during drills off the coast of Guam.
Admiral Scott Swift, the head of US Pacific Fleet, said: “It is a rare opportunity to train with two aircraft carriers together, and even rarer to be able to train with three.
“Multiple carrier strike force operations are very complex, and this exercise in the Western Pacific is a strong testament to the US Pacific Fleet’s unique ability and ironclad commitment to the continued security and stability of the region.”
It comes as Donald Trump ramped up the fighting talk against Kim Jong-un.
Addressing the North Korea crisis, the US President tweeted: “NoKo has interpreted America’s past restraint as weakness.
“This would be a fatal miscalculation.
“Do not underestimate us. AND DO NOT TRY US.”
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