US to stage rare drill with three carriers as Trump visits Asia

WASHINGTON — Three US aircraft carrier strike groups will exercise together in the Western Pacific in the coming days in a rare show of force as President Donald J. Trump visits Asia with warnings about the nuclear threat from North Korea, US off icials say.

The drill will include the USS Nimitz, the Ronald Reagan, the Theodore Roosevelt and their accompanying warships, the first time three US aircraft carrier strike groups have exercised together in the region in a decade.

A Japanese destroyer, the Inazuma, will join the armada, two Japanese government officials said, following a separate three- day exercise with the Reagan and two Indian warships in the Sea of Japan that ended Monday.

US officials have previously said the drill was under consideration and that planning was under way. The decision to soon go forward with the exercise in the Western Pacific has not been previously published.

The four US officials and two Japanese sources who discussed the drill with Reuters spoke on condition of anonymity, and did not disclose the precise date or location of the exercise. The Pentagon and the Navy’s Pacific Fleet declined comment on future operations.

Reuters was not aware of any plans for Mr. Trump to visit the carriers.

The last time three US carrier strike groups exercised together was in 2007, when the Nimitz, along with the John C. Stennis and Kitty Hawk carrier strike groups participated in drills near Guam.

Such large- scale drills serve as a potent reminder of the US ability to rapidly mobilize military force, a capability the Trump administration has been keen to emphasize as Pyongyang races ahead with tests to build a nuclear- tipped missile capable of striking the United States.

Since taking off ice, Mr. Trump has vowed to expand the fleet of US carriers, even as some military strategists and experts believe the massive ships would be increasingly vulnerable to modern Chinese and Russian weapons in any conflict.

Singapore- based military expert Tim Huxley said the presence of the US carriers still sent an unmistakable message, with each one carrying 70odd aircraft.

“Beyond the capability to project military power at great range, their ability to project political and psychological power is arguably unmatched, and we are seeing that play out,” said Mr. Huxley, of the International Institute for Strategic Studies.

“While in a war against China, US carriers might be vulnerable, they wouldn’t be in any conflict against North Korea...and three US carriers can deliver a tremendous amount of airpower.”

Carrier commanders say the strike groups are kept combat ready at all times, with jet fighters and surveillance planes flying constantly from their flight decks to maintain a protective screen.

US defense off icials noted recently the presence of the three US carriers in the region was reassuring allies, even though it was long scheduled. “It does demonstrate a capability that no other nation in the world can do,” Joint Staff Director Lieutenant General Kenneth McKenzie, Jr. said earlier this month.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying called for restraint during a regular news briefing on Tuesday when asked about the carriers, saying the situation on the Korean peninsula was complex and severe.