US Joint Military Drills with Japan: Naval sources stated that a nuclear-powered U.S. aircraft carrier, the Theodore Roosevelt, arrived in the South Korean port city of Busan on Saturday to participate in joint military drills later this month with the host nation and Japan.
Seeking to present unity in the face of China’s increasing influence and nuclear threats from North Korea, the presidents of the three nations decided at a meeting last August to schedule yearly military training drills.
Said U.S. Rear Admiral Christopher Alexander, commander of Carrier Strike Group Nine, the drills this month, “Freedom Edge,” would comprise marine, anti-submarine warfare exercises and air defense manoeuvres involving the navies of the three countries.
South Korea Summons Russian Ambassador Over Defense Pact with North Korea
Visiting North Korea this week for the first time in 24 years, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a contract with leader Kim Jong Un that included a mutual defense promise.
Kim said that this was one of Russia’s most important actions in Asia for years, equating it with an alliance.
The visit follows seven months following another U.S. aircraft carrier, the Carl Vinson, in a show of extended deterrence against the nuclear and missile programs of North Korea.
