By missile defense drills with Japan and South Korea, staging 12 new F-35A Lightning II jets and 300 support personnel into Okinawa and, most ominously, deploying three nuclear carrier strike groups into the region, the U.S. and their allies are signaling loudly to the North Korean leadership.
Whenever the U.S. gathers three aircraft carrier strike groups into a single theater, it is an unambiguous indicator that the U.S. is prepared to commence combat operations without further notice. Click here for more details of the latest deployment.