U.S. aircraft carrier arrives for S. Korea drills
STORY: :: A nuclear-powered U.S. aircraft carrier arrives in South Korea for military drills
:: June 22, 2024
:: Christopher Alexander,
Commander, Carrier Strike Group Nine
"The intent of it is to improve the tactical proficiency of our ships, the intent is to improve the interoperability between our navies, and the intent is to ensure that we are ready to respond to any crisis or contingency.”
:: Busan, South Korea
:: The USS Theodore Roosevelt will take part in joint exercises with South Korea and Japan
The leaders of the three nations agreed at a Camp David summit in August 2023 to hold annual military training drills as they condemned China's "dangerous and aggressive behavior" in the disputed waterway of the South China Sea.
Russian President Vladimir Putin visited North Korea this week for the first time in 24 years and signed a deal with leader Kim Jong Un that included a mutual defense pledge.
It was one of Russia's most significant moves in Asia for years, which Kim described as amounting to an alliance.
The visit comes seven months after a South Korea trip by another U.S. aircraft carrier, the Carl Vinson, in a show of extended deterrence against the North's nuclear and missile programs.
