US sends third aircraft carrier close to Korean peninsula

In a rare move, the US plans to send the USS Nimitz, its third aircraft carrier, to the western Pacific Ocean, operating near the Korean peninsula, Japan's Asahi newspaper reported on May 28.

(Illustration: Getty)

The USS Nimitz carrier strike group was originally scheduled to be deployed in the Middle East, but the US Navy has changed tack and decided to deploy the nuclear-powered warship to the Western Pacific for a six-month mission to deal with the current crisis on the Korean Peninsula, the source said.

This is the third aircraft carrier group to be deployed in the Korean Peninsula, an unprecedented move by the US Navy. Previously, the USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier strike group was deployed in the Korean Peninsula since late April. The USS Ronald Reagan aircraft carrier group left port in Japan on April 16 and is expected to conduct joint exercises with the USS Carl Vinson.

It is not yet clear whether the USS Nimitz group will participate in joint military exercises with the two other groups of ships in the Western Pacific.

The US move came shortly after North Korea repeatedly test-fired ballistic missiles believed to be intercontinental ballistic missiles. Experts say North Korea has made significant progress in intercontinental ballistic missile technology and may possess ballistic missiles sooner than expected.

According to Dantri