US Holds War Games With Japan, South Korea Amid DPRK Tensions

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — The navies of Japan and South Korea are simultaneously conducting drills with their US counterparts, the US Navy announced in a press release.

"Both exercises demonstrate a shared commitment to security and stability in northeast Asia as well as the US Navy's inherent flexibility to combine with allied naval forces in response to a broad range of situations," the release stated on Tuesday.

The US destroyer Wayne E. Meyer (DDG 108) and South Korean destroyer Wang Geon are operating in waters west of the Korean peninsula, while the US destroyer Fitzgerald and Japanese destroyer Chokai are operating in the Sea of Japan, the release explained.

On Monday, the US and South Korean military forces executed a joint air-to-air combat exercise at Kunsan Air Base in South Korea, according to he US Pacific Command.

On Sunday, Japan and the United States started naval military exercises in the Pacific Ocean with participation of a US naval group led by the USS Carl Vinson, according to Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force. The group was sent by the United States to the Korean Peninsula amid growing tensions in the region. North Korean state Rodong Sinmun newspaper reportedly said that Pyongyang was ready to show its military power in response to the US move to send its naval group, while the country's revolutionary forces could sink the USS Carl Vinson with a single strike.

The situation on the Korean peninsula aggravated since North Korea carried out a number of missile launches and nuclear tests, with one of the latest constituting a launch of a ballistic missile from Sinpo, South Hamgyong province, in the direction of the Sea of Japan on April 5 and a missile test on April 16, claimed unsuccessful by the South Korean defense officials. The launches are considered to be in violation with the UN Security Council resolution.