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发帖数: 22479 | 1 http://dailycaller.com/2017/05/19/us-sends-another-aircraft-carrier-to-kim-jong-uns-doorstep-as-tensions-rise/
US Sends Another Aircraft Carrier To Kim Jong Un’s Doorstep As Tensions
Rise
The U.S. Navy is moving a second aircraft carrier to waters just off the
Korean Peninsula as North Korea continues advancing its missile program.
The USS Ronald Reagan will join the USS Carl Vinson for joint drills
offshore. The Ronald Reagan left its home port in Yokosuka, Japan for the
Korean Peninsula Tuesday, defense officials told CNN. The carrier will sail
to the East Sea/Sea of Japan, a U.S. military source located in South Korea
told the Asahi Shimbun, a Japanese newspaper.
The U.S. Navy dispatched the Carl Vinson to the area last month to boost
American military presence in the region at a time when many anticipated a
sixth North Korean nuclear test. The Nimitz-class carrier is expected to
remain in the area until June, at which point it will likely be replaced by
the Ronald Reagan.
“Coming out of a long in-port maintenance period, we have to ensure that
Ronald Reagan and the remainder of the strike group are integrated properly
as we move forward,” Rear Adm. Charles Williams said in a statement to the
press. Once the Ronald Reagan reaches the intended destination, it will
conduct readiness drills, focused primarily on its ability to safely launch
and recover aircraft.
“Deploying the Reagan strike group off the Korean Peninsula would send a
strong message that the Trump administration [is] taking the possible threat
from North Korea very seriously,” Yoshihiro Makino, a correspondent for
the Asahi Shimbun, wrote.
The move comes just days after North Korea launched its tenth missile of the
year, a new Hwasong-12 medium long-range surface-to-surface ballistic
missile. Not only did the test mark a successful launch of a new
intermediate-range missile, but it also appears that the North tested a re-
entry vehicle. Observers suspect that North Korea’s missile program is
advancing faster than expected, with some suggesting that the North could
have a working intercontinental ballistic missile in just one year, not five. |
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