For the first time in ten years, the US Navy will deploy a major force presence in the Yellow Sea, which lies between the Korean Peninsula and China’s Shandong peninsula. The occasion, reports the South China Morning Post, citing the South Korean Defense Ministry, is the 73rd anniversary of the Battle of Inchon during the Korean war and the 70th anniversary of the US-South Korea alliance. Local media, citing senior government officials, reported that the group would also take part in what will “practically be a large-scale joint amphibious operation drill between the US and South Korea” around the commemorations. The USS America, an assault ship carrying helicopters and F-35B stealth fighters, along with the Canadian frigate HMCS Vancouver, will participate in the exercise.
SCMP reports that the last US major operation in the Yellow Sea was in 2013, when the carrier group led by USS George Washingto took part in a joint exercise. Since then it has only sent smaller groups or single ships into the waters – which at their narrowest point separate South Korea from China by less than 230 km (140 miles) – in part to avoid a backlash from Beijing.
“The current situation clearly shows the US superiority over China,” said Kim Hyun-wook, a professor at Korea National Diplomatic Academy. “It holds various messages such as Washington’s containment of Beijing through trilateral cooperation with Seoul and Tokyo.” He added, “It could be a sign that joint naval and air force drills between the US and South Korea will resume.”
