AMN
The US aircraft carrier, USS Carl Vinson, kicked off a joint drill with the South Korean navy yesterday. The exercise began amidst tensions over North Korea’s latest test-fire of a ballistic missile.
A defence Ministry spokesman said the drill came hours after the North launched a ballistic missile in apparent defiance of a concerted US push for tougher international sanctions to curb Pyongyang’s nuclear weapons ambitions.
He said the drill is aimed at verifyig the allies’ capability to track and intercept enemy ballistic missiles. He declined to clarify how long the drill would last, but Yonhap news agency said it is expected to continue until sometime next week.
The drill will also include a live-fire exercise and anti-submarine manoeuvres.
It would mark the USS Carl Vinson’s second operation in South Korean waters in less than two months amid heightened military tensions in Korea. In March, the aircraft carrier carried out annual joint drills.
Earlier this week, the US carrier had joint drills with Japan’s naval forces. North Korea’s state media has said the North’s military is capable of sinking the aircraft carrier with a single strike.