According to the Navy, the USS Theodore Roosevelt made landfall at a naval base in the southeast city of Busan on Saturday. This was a show of force against the North Korean threats that are changing due to their increased military collaboration with Russia.
Early on Saturday, the USS Daniel Inouye and the USS Halsey, two destroyers with Aegis systems, joined the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier of Carrier Strike Group 9, which is based in Busan, 199 miles southeast of Seoul, according to the Navy.
Since the USS Carl Vinson’s visit in November, it was the first time an American aircraft carrier has arrived in South Korea in seven months.
It also commemorated the USS Theodore Roosevelt’s maiden port call in Busan. In April, the US, Japan, and South Korea participated in a trilateral naval drill.
The three nations’ combined efforts to strengthen security cooperation against North Korean threats are anticipated to culminate in the holding of their first-ever trilateral multidomain exercise later this month, known as the Freedom Edge, on Saturday.
Rear Adm. Christopher Alexander, commander of Carrier Strike Group Nine, stated at a public speech that the goals of the Freedom Edge exercise are to improve interoperability, improve tactical capabilities, and be ready to respond to local emergencies.
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He clarified that the exercise is part of routine drills and is not meant to be interpreted as a statement about the increased security dangers in light of recent developments in relations between North Korea and Russia.
During their three-way discussions earlier this month on the margins of the Shangri-La Dialogue security conference, the three parties decided to start the exercise.
Its namesake comes from the two major bilateral exercises that the United States conducts with its Asian neighbors: Keen Edge with Japan and Freedom Shield with South Korea.
The exercise will take place in a number of domains, including the air, sea, underwater, and cyber, as per the agreement.
It also coincides with fears that ties between Russia and North Korea will only get stronger following a summit in Pyongyang on Wednesday, where Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean Leader Kim Jong-un inked a deal promising mutual defense in the event of conflict.
The latest visit, according to the Navy, was made to demonstrate the “ironclad” American commitment to extended deterrence, the strength of the joint defense posture between the United States and South Korea, and the readiness to take decisive action in response to developing North Korean threats.
