US sends 40,000-ton amphibious assault ship to conduct drills in South Korea
The US and South Korean Marines are planning exercises involving the amphibious assault ship USS Wasp.
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The US Navy's amphibious assault ship USS Wasp. Photo: US Marine |
The US Navy's amphibious assault ship USS Wasp, capable of carrying F-35B stealth fighters, will participate in the Ssangyong (Song Long) joint exercise with South Korea in early April.Yonhaptoday news
Military sources said this exercise is part of the framework of the annual large-scale exercise called Foal Eagle between the two countries' armies.
The USS Wasp was commissioned by the US Navy in 1989. The ship has a displacement of 40,500 tons, can carry about 2,200 Marines, many smaller amphibious assault ships and about 31 aircraft, including the MV-22 Osprey hybrid helicopter line.
After being equipped with F-35B fighters, the USS Wasp was deployed to the Asia-Pacific region to replace the USS Bonhomme Richard, a sister ship.
South Korea announced in late February that it would resume the Key Resolve and Foal Eagle joint military exercises with the United States, which had been postponed due to the conflict with the 2018 Winter Olympics, in early April.
According to experts, the US is unlikely to deploy a strategic aircraft carrier to participate in the exercise amid signs of easing tensions on the Korean peninsula after a series of high-level meetings between the two Koreas.
US President Donald Trump also recently accepted an invitation to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, although the time and location of the meeting have not been decided.
