The carrier Ronald Reagan could join the USS Carl Vinson at the Korean Peninsula late next month as lengthy maintenance finally comes to an end, the Nikkei Asian Review reports.
The Navy hasn’t yet indicated whether the carrier will join the Vinson as a continued show of force in the region. For now, the Reagan plans to carry out landing practice on Iwo Jima between May 2 and 13.
Based out of the Japanese port of Yokosuka at the mouth of Tokyo Bay, the Reagan is the Navy’s only forward-deployed carrier. Its long-awaited return to sea following four months of maintenance comes amid growing tensions from North Korea, where threats of nuclear weapon or long-range ballistic missile testing continue.
Before heading out to sea, the 100 pilots assigned to the carrier must perform 4,200 touch-and-go trials on a land runway — an exercise involving landing and rapidly thrusting to take-off again — to simulate complications that can occur on the much smaller carrier runways.
In 1996, President Bill Clinton ordered two carrier strike groups to the Taiwan Strait in response to missile testing by China, a formidable message and deterrence to aggressive actions.
Vice President Mike Pence visited the carrier last week and delivered a speech reaffirming U.S. support to the region.
