trump has sent the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson into Korea without the means of defending itself from ballistic missiles. This flaw is due to naval design and armament priorities on aircraft carriers. The carrier is packed with offensive weapons such as Tomahawk missiles, radar jamming devices, anti-ship missiles and the Boeing F/A-18E and F/A-18F Super Hornet, but lacks a ballistic defense system.
However, the seemingly shocking lack of missile defenses of aircraft carriers is filled in by the Aegis missile system of the destroyer escorts that accompanied the Carl Vinson on its Korean deployment.
Where is the carrier group now?
As of reports from Pentagon, the US naval flotilla is on its way to Korea and had just passed through the Tahara Strait near Okinawa. Though the exact time of arrival in the Korean peninsula is still not revealed, it will probably reach the area later this week. The US flotilla will be joined by two Japanese destroyers, warships from South Korea and a Chinese intelligence ship that will shadow the carrier group's movements.
The naval deployments are based on the pretext of joint naval exercises, but it also serves as a major show of force against Pyongyang. Trump has told the UN security council in his meeting with them last Monday that North Korea is a threat that needs to be dealt with.
Trump also said that America would definitely act if North Korea conducts another missile test.
Naval escalation is underway
According to reports, the Pentagon plans on sending two more carriers near the Korean peninsula. This is to secure the area from possible missile attacks coming from North Korea. After Kim Jong-Un's defiant rhetoric and severe threats of laying waste to America through preemptive nuclear attacks, the US Navy will not take any chances.
At the moment, the only carrier near the Korean peninsula is the USS Carl Vinson. However, the USS Ronald Reagan is docked in Yokosuka, Japan and can easily be redeployed in areas near the peninsula. The carrier group centered on the USS Nimitz is still undergoing predeployment assessments, but it is most likely to be deployed as well to Asia.
What is the reaction of China and Russia over this build-up?
China will not hinder the preventive measures taken by the United States in the Korean peninsula in response to Kim Jong-Un's threats. China favors a non-nuclear North Korea and continues to convince the rogue state to disband their nuclear ambition. Beijing also threatens Pyongyang of severe export limitations if they continue their nuclear tests.
Trump, on the other hand, is hard pressed on local matters, in particular with the budget proposal that needs to be released. This irritation coming from North Korea, compounded by the Mexican border wall budget fiasco may affect the budget spending proposal; the controversial president will finally approve.
