Carrier Strike Group One

The incident happened on the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson

Photo: US Navy

North Korea said on Sunday it was ready to sink a U.S. aircraft carrier to demonstrate its military might, as two Japanese navy ships joined a U.S. carrier group for exercises in the western Pacific.

Two Japanese destroyers have joined an American aircraft carrier headed toward the Korean peninsula.

A United States aircraft carrier strike group has begun patrols in the South China Sea amid growing tension with China over control of the disputed waterway and concerns it could become a flashpoint under the new U.S. administration.

China's Foreign Ministry on Feb. 15 warned Washington against challenging its sovereignty in the South China Sea.

Ignoring repeated warnings from Beijing not to aggravate tensions in Southeast Asia, the US Navy has deployed an aircraft carrier strike group for "routine" maritime patrols in the vicinity of the disputed South China Sea waters.