The Navy on Sunday released photos and videos of a rare exercise featuring three U.S. aircraft carrier strike groups training in the Western Pacific, which coincided with President Trump’s visit to five Asian countries.
Ships belonging to the USS Ronald Reagan, USS Nimitz and USS Theodore Roosevelt carrier strike groups conducted a joint operation with the Japanese Self Defense Force in international waters.
Reagan is based in Japan as America’s only forward-deployed carrier. Nimitz is on its way back to the West Coast from a deployment in the Middle East, and Roosevelt is on its way to relieve Nimitz.
Top military officials have said the rare three-carrier exercise, which hasn’t been conducted in the Western Pacific since 2007, was not timed to coincide with Trump’s visit to Asia, but does serve as a reminder of the naval power the U.S. can bring to bear.
Trump, while speaking to reporters last week in South Korea, took note of the exercise in the context of North Korea. “We have many things happening that we hope, we hope — in fact, I’ll go a step further, we hope to God we never have to use,” Trump said.
The groups are scheduled to train together until Tuesday.
