North Korea war: Trump sends USS Ronald Reagan for WW3 drill – Daily Star

A SECOND US aircraft carrier has arrived on Kim Jong-uns doorstep.

The USS Ronald Reagan has joined the USS Carl Vinson in the western Pacific, the US Navy has confirmed.

The two flattops both carrying squadrons of strike fighters and attack helicopters and accompanied by an escort of warships are expected to carry out war drills with South Korea.

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The manoeuvres are seen as a thinly veiled warning to North Korea which has continued to develop long-range missiles capable of carrying out a nuclear strike on mainland America.

The deployment of two aircraft carriers to the same region at the same time is highly unusual.

The USS Carl Vinson has been despatched to Korean waters as a show of strength against Kim Jong-un. The nuclear-powered aircraft carrier has seen active duty in both Gulf wars

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The Nimitz-class aircraft carrier is under the command of Captain Douglas C Verissimo

USS Carl Vinson and USS Ronald Reagan are in the Western Pacific

The Ronald Reagan and its Carrier Air Wing Five featuring fighter jets and early warning aircraft began its spring patrol earlier this week, according to the Pacific Fleet.

They are focused on "flight deck and carrier qualifications.

The Carl Vinson and Carrier Strike Group 1 which is made up of guided-missile cruiser USS Lake Champlain and guided-missile destroyers USS Michael Murphy and USS Wayne E Meyer have been operating in waters near Korea since late last month.

The Ronald Reagan which is based in nearby Japan was earmarked to replace the Carl Vinson.

But the Carl Vinsons mission has been extended through until the end of next month after North Korea tested what is believed to be an intermediate-range ballistic missile last weekend.

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The Hermit Kingdom claims the test means it can now deliver a warhead to the US mainland.

A Pacific Fleet spokesman said: USS Carl Vinson and USS Ronald Reagan are in the Western Pacific, but they are not in close proximity to each other.

Since 2008, photographer Eric Lafforgue ventured to North Korea six times. Thanks to digital memory cards, he was able to save photos that was forbidden to take inside the segregated state

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Taking pictures in the DMZ is easy, but if you come too close to the soldiers, they stop you

Earlier in the day, a South Korean government source said the two may hold joint drills with South Korea's Navy in the East Sea between Korean and Japan early next month.

The allies are in consultations on the exact schedule, the source said on the condition of anonymity, adding: "The Reagan is likely to enter the East Sea around the end of this month."

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While tourists are free to visit the secretive state as part of strictly controlled tour groups, they are told to never take photos of soldiers by their handlers. These images taken by photographer Eric Lafforgue show the truth behind North Korean military service: a life of hard physical labour with the perks of visits to the nation's capital

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Many soldiers are used as a labor force to compensate for the ineffective North Korean economy, so the army is not only about military organization.

South Korea's military officials said the reclusive North apparently stands ready to conduct another nuclear test.

They are concerned as well that it will test-fire a long-range rocket in the near future.

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North Korea war: Trump sends USS Ronald Reagan for WW3 drill - Daily Star