US to take part in S Korea drills in October

US aircraft carrier will take part in South Korean military drills in October, a military official said on Sunday

The USS Ronald Reagan (CVN-76), Japan-based Carrier Strike Group Five of the US navy, will sail to the Yellow and South Seas to participate in a joint naval exercise with South Korea slated for October 10-15, Yonhap news agency reported.

"The USS Ronald Reagan will take part in the combined maritime exercise between the US and South Korean militaries to be carried out in the western and southern seas," the official said.

The exercise will focus on training the allies' naval forces on joint precision attacks on North Korea's key military facilities and the regime's leadership that would be launched in the event of a war with Pyongyang.

The aircraft carrier, which is powered by two nuclear reactors, can carry around 80 planes and some 5,400 crew members.

Other warships, including Curtis Wilbur, John S. McCain, Fitzgerald, Stethem and Barry, will also take part in the exercises, the official added.

Washington is also planning to deploy other strategic assets including the B-2 stealth bomber.

The forthcoming deployment will serve as a military warning against North Korea, which conducted its fifth nuclear test on Friday and claimed that it had tested a nuclear warhead that can be fitted onto missiles.

The most powerful nuclear test drew international outrage and gave rise to new UN sanctions against the country.

--IANS

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