Christopher Brown / Navy The aircraft carrier Ronald Reagan and its strike group will deploy to Japan on Saturday.From The Daily Kos:
Where are the Carriers? is a page at Globalsecurity.org that I check every so often, usually when there are one or more major crises emerging on the world stage. I do this because I think the deployment of four billion-dollar superweapons platforms is a big tell on what the United States government feels are its immediate and near-term national security priorities.
So this morning I spent some time perusing the Navy news links and seeing in detail where the carriers are, and are headed, and what threats might be occupying the attention of our leaders.
Perhaps the happening in Iran catch their eye?
As it turns out, one - count it - one carrier is in the Indian ocean, and it is busy operating in support of the war effort in Afghanistan and, maybe (but don't tell anybody) helping Pakistan deal with the Taliban and related insurgencies.
So what's up?
Read more ....
My Comment: Hat tip to New Wars for picking out this article from the Daily Kos.
The positioning of U.S. Aircraft carrier fleets in the northeast part of Asia is understandable. This is where a good chunk of the world's economy and population are located. In addition, the strategic alliance between the U.S. and Japan/Korea is just as important as the U.S. strategic relationship with Europe.
If war should break out on the Korean Peninsula, more Americans will be killed in the first few weeks of combat than Americans killed in Afghanistan and Iraq combined since 2001. American military planners understand this, and U.S./Asian political leaders are also justifiably concerned and worried about this.