The United States conducts regular naval military exercises with its allies South Korea and Japan to keep them tuned to the correct frequency. This is to ensure a high level of preparedness by all concerned to tackle any threat. However, the adamant attitude of North Korea has forced the US Navy to demonstrate its strength by deploying three of its aircraft carriers off the Korean peninsula.
These multi-ship strike groups will take part in exercises that would last for four days.
The intention of this display of naval might is to send a strong message to Kim Jong-un to halt his missile programs. He should not precipitate a situation that could lead to a possible nuclear war which is not a desirable scenario.
The situation is tense
CNN reports that the three aircraft carriers are the USS Ronald Reagan, USS Theodore Roosevelt, and USS Nimitz. According to a Defense Ministry official of South Korea, the three carriers will conduct exercises on either side of the waters that separate the Korean Peninsula and Japan.
One set of exercises will be held close to the Korean coast involving ships of the United States and South Korea. The other will be scheduled close to the coast of Japan where ships of the US and Japan will participate.
The purpose of these exercises is to let North Korea know, in no uncertain terms, that America means business, and Pyongyang must abandon its programs of developing nuclear weapons. President Donald Trump, during his Asian tour, has said that he is against the use of force, but the option is very much there.
North Korea remains a problem
Pyongyang feels that military exercises conducted by the United States are threats to its existence. The state-run Korean Central News Agency has quoted a number of instances of US military moves that it sees as provocations.
In its opinion, the US and its allies are setting the stage for a war with North Korea.
The turmoil around the Korean peninsula continues to escalate, and the leaders must take a combined stand to influence Kim Jong-un. The global community has imposed trade sanctions on North Korea, but Kim’s regime has successfully circumvented the hurdle and has gone ahead with its nuclear weapon programs.
Kim must, now, rethink his strategy because a nuclear war will take a heavy toll on human lives, and the victims could be from his own country. Nuclear radiation knows no boundaries and will spread, encompassing everything in its path. Hiroshima is an example of the devastation that can result from a nuclear bomb, and recovery from its effects could take decades.