WASHINGTON EXAMINER, OCT, 28, 2017— The U.S. Navy plans to stage a rare, three-carrier exercise in the next few weeks off the Korean Peninsula, which could coincide with President Trump’s visit to South Korea, Japan, and China next month.
The joint drills, the first in 10 years, are possible because of a rare confluence of carrier deployment schedules, according to the Pentagon.
The USS Ronald Reagan is based in Japan. On Tuesday, the Navy announced that the USS Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Strike Group had entered 7th Fleet, followed by the USS Nimitz Carrier Strike Group on Wednesday. Nimitz is on its way back to Washington state from a deployment to the Middle East, during which time it’ll operate in 7th Fleet, which covers the eastern half of the Indian Ocean and the Western Pacific.
So as the Nimitz and the Roosevelt cross paths, there will be a period where all three will be in the same general area.
“I wouldn’t read anything more to it than it’s just an opportunity to exercise three carrier strike groups together,” said Lt. Gen. Kenneth McKenzie at the Pentagon briefing Thursday. “We always seek to do that when we have an opportunity to do it. It doesn’t come along very often.”
The Pentagon says the massing of three carriers in the waters off the peninsula is not a response to the rising tension with the North over its nuclear and missile programs. But the Navy said the ships would be available to take part in any real-world contingencies.
“While in 7th Fleet, the Nimitz Carrier Strike Group is scheduled for a port visit and will be ready to support operations throughout the [area of operations] before transiting back to their respective homeports,” a Navy release said.
“USS Theodore Roosevelt is prepared to carry out the full spectrum of possible missions, from humanitarian relief to combat operations,” said Capt. Carlos Sardiello, Theodore Roosevelt’s commanding officer. “When a carrier leaves on deployment, we have to be ready for anything.”
The last time the United States conducted a drill with three aircraft carriers was in 2007.
“It’s not directed towards any particular threat, but it’s a demonstration that we can do something that no one else in the world can,” said Dana White, the Pentagon’s chief civilian spokesperson.
