While the US, Australian and South Korean navies are conducting joint exercises in the East China Sea, US officials have also revealed three US aircraft carrier strike groups will exercise together in the Western Pacific in the coming days in a show of unprecedented force as President Donald Trump visits the volatile region.
US officials had previously said the drill involving the three carrier groups was under consideration but the decision to soon go forward with the exercise in the Western Pacific had not been previously announced.
The four officials who discussed the drill with Reuters spoke on condition of anonymity, and did not disclose the precise date or location of the exercise, but revealed the drill would include the aircraft carriers USS Nimitz, the Ronald Reagan, the Theodore Roosevelt and their accompanying warships.
Three US aircraft carrier strike groups have not exercised together in the region since 2007, making the…