These
deployments do not necessarily mean the U.S. is preparing for war. They
do, however, elevate the risk of conflict in East Asia.
The U.S. is
enhancing its forward position in and around North Korea. Three U.S.
aircraft carrier strike groups are en route to the Western Pacific, where
they’ll conduct a combined exercise in middle November. Such a
concentration of force is rare. The last time three U.S. carrier strike
groups convened for a combined deployment was in 2007. This forward
deployment will give the U.S. force projection capabilities within
striking distance of North Korea.
The U.S. Air
Force, meanwhile, has declared that, for the very first time, it is going
to send a squadron of a dozen F-35A stealth fighter jets to Kadena Air
Base in Japan in early November for a six month deployment. Stealth
fighters would be prominent fixtures in any U.S. attack on North Korea.
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