USS Ronald Reagan, South Korean ships launch drills

SEOUL, South Korea — The aircraft carrier Ronald Reagan and its carrier strike group launched drills with South Korean warships off the Korean Peninsula’s east coast on Monday in their first such training in five years, a day after North Korea test-fired a short-range ballistic missile in a possible response to the exercise.

North Korea could conduct more tests in coming days as it views U.S.-South Korean military exercises as practice for an invasion and often reacts with displays of weapons designed to attack its rivals.

The four days of drills are aimed at demonstrating the allies’ “powerful resolve to respond to North Korean provocations” and improving their ability to perform joint naval operations, the South Korean navy said in a statement.

More than 20 U.S. and South Korean navy ships, including the Reagan , a U.S. cruiser and South Korean and U.S. destroyers, were mobilized for the drills, according to the navy statement. It said U.S. and South Korean fighter jets and helicopters will also take part in the training.

It would be the first such joint drills involving a U.S. aircraft carrier near the peninsula since 2017, when the U.S. sent three aircraft carriers including the Reagan for naval drills with South Korea in response to North Korean nuclear and missile tests. The allies had since cancelled or downsized some of their regular drills to support now-dormant talks on North Korea’s nuclear program or guard against COVID-19.

The North Korean missile fired on Sunday flew about 370 miles at the maximum altitude of 37 miles before falling into the waters off the North’s east coast, according to South Korean estimates. Some experts say North Korea might have launched a nuclear-capable, highly maneuverable ballistic missile and that its 600 kilometer-flight had enough range to strike a southeastern South Korean port where the Reagan was previously docked.

North Korea has performed a record number of missile tests this year as it steadfastly rebuffs U.S. and South Korean calls to resume the nuclear diplomacy. North Korea has said it won’t return to talks unless the United States drops its hostile policies in an apparent reference to U.S.-South Korean military drills and U.S.-led economic sanctions on it.

Earlier this month, North Korea adopted a new law that authorized the preemptive use of nuclear weapons in some situations, a development that showed its increasingly aggressive nuclear doctrine . Some analysts say North Korea would eventually aim for arms control negotiations with the United States to get sanctions relief and other concessions in return for a partial surrender of its nuclear capability.

韩国首尔——周一，美国“罗纳德·里根”号航空母舰及其航母打击群与韩国军舰在朝鲜半岛东海岸附近展开联合演习，这是双方五年来的首次此类训练。此前一天，朝鲜试射了一枚短程弹道导弹，这可能是对此次演习的回应。

朝鲜可能在未来几天进行更多试验，因为它将美韩联合军事演习视为入侵的演练，并经常以展示旨在攻击其对手的武器作为回应。

韩国海军在一份声明中表示，为期四天的演习旨在展示盟国“应对朝鲜挑衅的强大决心”，并提高其执行联合海军行动的能力。

据海军声明，包括美国巡洋舰“里根”号以及韩国和美国驱逐舰在内的20多艘美韩海军舰艇已集结参加此次演习。声明还称，美韩战斗机和直升机也将参与训练。

这将是自2017年以来，美国航母首次在朝鲜半岛附近海域进行此类联合演习。2017年，为应对朝鲜的核试验和导弹试验，美国派遣了包括“里根”号在内的三艘航母与韩国举行联合海军演习。此后，为支持目前已陷入停滞的朝鲜核问题谈判或应对新冠疫情，美韩两国取消或缩减了一些常规演习。

据韩国方面估计，朝鲜周日发射的导弹飞行了约370英里，最高飞行高度为37英里，最终落入朝鲜东海岸附近海域。一些专家表示，朝鲜可能发射了一枚可携带核弹头、机动性极强的弹道导弹，其600公里的飞行距离足以打击韩国东南部的一个港口，而“里根”号航母此前曾停靠在该港口。

今年，朝鲜进行了创纪录的导弹试验，并始终拒绝美国和韩国重启核外交的呼吁。朝鲜表示，除非美国放弃其敌对政策，否则不会重返谈判桌。这显然是指美韩联合军演以及美国主导的对朝经济制裁。

本月初，朝鲜通过了一项新法律，授权在某些情况下先发制人地使用核武器，这一举动表明其核战略日益咄咄逼人。一些分析人士认为，朝鲜最终会寻求与美国进行军控谈判，以部分放弃核能力为条件，换取制裁的解除和其他让步。