. | . |
'All on me:' US admiral takes blame in carrier to N.Korea fiasco by Staff Writers Washington (AFP) April 26, 2017
The US admiral who ordered an aircraft carrier and other warships toward the Korean Peninsula in a much-hyped deployment took responsibility Wednesday for any "confusion" after the ships sailed in the opposite direction. Amid soaring tensions ahead of North Korea's apparent ramping up for a sixth nuclear test, the US Navy on April 8 said it was directing a naval strike group headed by the USS Carl Vinson carrier to "sail north" from the waters off Singapore, as a "prudent measure" to deter Pyongyang. But the ships actually went the other way, sailing south from Singapore and toward Australia to conduct drills with the Australian navy -- though they subsequently did turn north. "That's my fault on the confusion and I'll take the hit for it," Admiral Harry Harris, who heads the US military's Pacific Command, told lawmakers. "Where I failed was to communicate that adequately to the press and the media, so that is all on me." Noting that the ships had eventually gone on to sail toward the Korean Peninsula, Harris said they are still en route. "Today (the strike group) sits in the Philippine Sea just east of Okinawa in striking range and power projection range of North Korea if called upon to do that, and then in a few days I expect it will continue to move north," he told the House Armed Services Committee. The eventual arrival of the strike group in the region is a far cry from the impression President Donald Trump and other officials left when the deployment was first announced. "We are sending an armada. Very powerful," were the words of President Donald Trump, and other officials made it sound like the ships were plowing toward the region. "A carrier group steaming into an area like that, the forward presence of that is clearly... a huge deterrent. So, I think it serves multiple capabilities," White House spokesman Sean Spicer said April 11. Pentagon chief Jim Mattis said the Vinson was "on her way up." The ruling party newspaper in North Korea on Monday called the Vinson's deployment "undisguised military blackmail." "Such threat may startle a jellyfish, but can never work on the DPRK," it said, using the country's official name.
Manila (AFP) April 26, 2017 Southeast Asian leaders will express concern this week about an "escalation of activities" in the South China Sea but avoid directly criticising China, according to the draft of a summit statement. The statement, set to be released on Saturday at the end of a two-day leaders' meeting in Manila, reflects Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte's efforts to ease tensions with China over competing ... read more Related Links Learn about the Superpowers of the 21st Century at SpaceWar.com Learn about nuclear weapons doctrine and defense at SpaceWar.com
|
|
The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us. |