A US nuclear-powered aircraft carrier arrived in the South Korean city of Busan on Saturday. The vessel is scheduled to participate in a trilateral exercise with South Korea’s military and Japan’s Self-Defense Forces.
The USS Theodore Roosevelt is the first US aircraft carrier to make a port call in South Korea since last November.
Rear Admiral Christopher Alexander, the commander of the US Navy’s Carrier Strike Group Nine, held a news conference aboard the carrier together with a senior official of the South Korean Navy.
Alexander said the vessel will join the new trilateral drill called “Freedom Edge,” in order to improve interoperability.
The exercise was confirmed by defense chiefs of the three countries during talks on June 2.
The South Korean official said drills will be conducted not only on the sea, but underwater and in the sky.
Multiple South Korean media outlets are reporting the exercise will take place next week. Yonhap News Agency says it will send a warning from the three countries as North Korea and Russia deepen their ties.