US, Allied Naval Drills Aimed to 'Deter' North Korea

The United States military concluded naval drills this week in the East China Sea with Japan and South Korea in an effort to "deter" North Korea and "respond to threats" from the hermit nation.

The Carl Vinson Carrier Strike Group carried out the trilateral drills over a four-day period with the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force and the Republic of Korea Navy, marking the first such drills with all three nations since the inauguration of President Donald Trump, according to a U.S Indo-Pacific Command announcement Thursday.

"The three countries will continue to work closely together to deter and jointly respond to threats from North Korea through trilateral exercises," the release said.

Six additional warships from the three navies also joined the USS Carl Vinson in the drills, which last occurred in November.

"The multi-domain exercise included group sails, advanced maritime communications, maritime interdiction operations training, air combat drills, staff exchanges and other integration, and serves to further strengthen the combined capabilities of the participating navies," the release said.

Trump has said he will reach out to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to revive diplomacy. North Korea hasn't directly responded to Trump's overture but alleged U.S.-led hostilities against North Korea have intensified since Trump's inauguration.

The USS Vinson arrived in South Korea on March 2, marking the first U.S. carrier group to travel to South Korea since June.

A little more than a week after the Vinson group's arrival, North Korea fired several ballistic missiles off the North's west coast.

In addition to the naval drills, the U.S. and South Korea also engaged in their annual Freedom Shield exercises and drills that lasted 10 days, also wrapping up Thursday. North Korea views those drills an invasion rehearsal.

"Exercises like Freedom Shield 25 ensure that our forces remain ready to respond to any threat, reaffirming our shared commitment to regional security," Gen. Xavier Brunson, commander of U.S. Forces Korea, said in a release.

Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.