Navy officials said the carrier's port call was planned in advance and not a response to recent maritime collisions between Beijing and Manila. North Korea is calling the arrival of a U.S. aircraft carrier battle group in South Korea a provocation. It’s the first arrival of a U.S. aircraft carrier in South Korea in six months. The ship’s transfer falls under a planned rotation of forces in the Pacific. The numbers from a recent Gallup poll show confidence in the U.S. military at 60%, the lowest it has been in 25 years. The aircraft carrier Washington's refueling ran two years long, due to the pandemic, industrial base challenges and unplanned work in the propulsion plant. The USS Ronald Reagan, along with the guided missile cruisers USS Antietam and USS Robert Smalls, arrived in Da Nang on Sunday for the visit. The rare visit by one of the U.S. Navy’s biggest ships comes as Washington and Beijing step up efforts to bolster ties with Southeast Asian nations. GW will have to come out of deep maintenance first, and officials have not disclosed when that will be. His debut short story collection won the 2021 Veterans Writing Award. Load More