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Two massive US aircraft carriers take part in a huge show of force off North Korea’s coast

The USS Carl Vinson and the USS Ronald Reagan are part of massive drills in the Sea of Japan amid growing tensions with Kim Jong-un’s missile obsession  
 

A FEARSOME fleet of US aircraft carriers and Japanese warships have been converging for an impressive show of force after the latest North Korean ballistic missile tests.

The strike groups of USS Carl Vinson and USS Ronald Reagan joined Japanese destroyers Hyuga and Ashigara for the exercise in the Sea of Japan East Sea, where Monday's missile landed.

President Donald Trump has ordered the USS Ronald Reagan to the Korean peninsula
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President Donald Trump has ordered the USS Ronald Reagan to the Korean peninsulaCredit: EPA
USS Ronald Reagan, front, and USS Carl Vinson, right rear, operating in the Sea of Japan
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USS Ronald Reagan, front, and USS Carl Vinson, right rear, operating in the Sea of JapanCredit: AP:Associated Press
This amazing photograph shows the bridges of the massive supercarriers
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This amazing photograph shows the bridges of the massive supercarriersCredit: AP:Associated Press

The drills came as Washington and Tokyo step up their rhetoric with an eye to stopping North Korea's missile and nuclear programmes.

Pyongyang has now conducted a dozen ballistic missile tests this year, in defiance of UN sanctions warnings and amid fears that it may be preparing for another nuclear test.

This still from North Korean state television (KRT) shows Kim Jong-un and a missile launcher as he apparently giving field guidance
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This still from North Korean state television (KRT) shows Kim Jong-un and a missile launcher as he apparently giving field guidanceCredit: AP:Associated Press

The US-Japan drill on Thursday comes shortly after the Pentagon tested an interceptor system to strike down a dummy ballistic missile.

Last month, naval exercises were conducted in the same waters with the USS Carl Vinson and South Korean and Japanese aircraft taking part.

Washington described Thursday's drill as "routine training".

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An F/A-18E Super Hornet from the Kestrels of Strike Fighter Squadron 137 lands on the flight deck of the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson
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An F/A-18E Super Hornet from the Kestrels of Strike Fighter Squadron 137 lands on the flight deck of the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Carl VinsonCredit: Getty Images
The USS Carl Vinson with the guided-missile cruiser USS Lake Champlain, the guided-missile destroyers USS Michael Murphy and USS Wayne E. Meyer along with the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force destroyers JS Ashigara and JS Samidare
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The USS Carl Vinson with the guided-missile cruiser USS Lake Champlain, the guided-missile destroyers USS Michael Murphy and USS Wayne E. Meyer along with the Japan Maritime Self-Defence Force destroyers JS Ashigara and JS SamidareCredit: Alamy
Captain Doug Verissimo of USS Carl Vinson observing the Japanese ship Hyuga and the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan
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Captain Doug Verissimo of USS Carl Vinson observing the Japanese ship Hyuga and the aircraft carrier USS Ronald ReaganCredit: Getty Images

A US Seventh Fleet spokesman said: "The Ronald Reagan and Carl Vinson Strike Groups were joined by the Japan Maritime Self-Defence Forces (JMSDF) for routine training to improve interoperability and readiness in the Indo-Asia Pacific." 

Japanese military officials declined to comment on the drill.

The United States has led the efforts to bring further sanctions to punish the North and is urging China, Pyongyang's main sponsor, to play a greater role in applying pressure on the unpredictable regime of Kim Jong-un.

Warplanes line the deck of the USS Carl Vinson as part of the sea and air drills off the coast of North Korea
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Warplanes line the deck of the USS Carl Vinson as part of the sea and air drills off the coast of North KoreaCredit: AP:Associated Press

US President Donald Trump has said Monday's missile test showed "disrespect" for China, while Japan's prime minister Shinzo Abe vowed that the "North Korean problem is the international community's top priority".

Along with South Korea, Japan is the most directly threatened by Pyongyang's provocations -Monday's test was the second time this year that a North Korean missile has fallen close to its shores.

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