The United States Navy will deploy its third Aircraft Carrier, the Uss Nimitz, to the Korean peninsula. This is after the USS Ronald Reagan sailed off from Japan to join the carrier Carl Vinson for dual-carrier drills. Exact plans for the Nimitz have still not completely divulged but sources say that it will rendezvous with the two carriers somewhere near the said peninsula for drills.
Why is there a need for the USS Nimitz to join the Reagan and Vinson?
According to sources, the USS Nimitz departed the Kitsap-Bremerton naval base in Washington early last Thursday.
The carrier is expected to sail to the western Pacific and towards the Middle East. However, it is said that its first destination will be a rendezvous with its two sister ships in the Korean peninsula.
The USS Nimitz is the capital ship of the Carrier strike group 11, which also includes five guided-missile destroyers. Commanding officer Capt. Kevin Lenox said that the ship had just completed its modernization and training and it one its first deployment since 2013. He also added that he is proud of the Nimitz crew for their coordination through the training cycle. He is also confident that the crew will meet whatever challenges that they will come up against.
Speculations arise as to the real intent of the deployment of a third carrier, but some analysts say that it might be a special contingency plan.
The U.S. military will be testing its ICBM defense system next week and it will be a tensed situation especially with the volatility of North Korea. Three carriers to cover the tests will be an ironclad contingency plan.
How will China and Russia react to American naval build up?
Russia focuses its attention on the crisis in Syria, especially now that the Syrian government under Assad has recently taken the southern Syrian desert from ISIS.
The Russian President Vladimir Putin had met with various Asian nations, especially the Philippines, a major U.S. ally in South East Asia. Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte asked Putin the or assistance of arms and have started a discussion over the details of such arms aid.
China, on the other hand, is pushing a more aggressive stand on its expansionist policy over the South and East China sea.
Beijing is also pursuing a massive upgrade of its military, air force and navy. It has two aircraft carriers, and is slowly increasing its naval arsenal to become a regional power that will overshadow Japan, South Korea and Taiwan. The power struggle in Asia is now underway and the spark for conflict can come at any time.
