Pence speaks on American aircraft carrier already in the theater

Daily Mail:

'The sword stands ready': Vice President Mike Pence warns North Korea of 'an overwhelming and effective American response' that will 'defeat any attack' as he addresses 2,500 cheering sailors aboard the USS Ronald Reagan in Tokyo BayPence made the appearance on board the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier on Tuesday while in Japan
  • He told the US and Japanese sailors at the US Yokosuka naval base in Tokyo Bay that the US wanted peace
  • But he warned that the country would be 'ready' to retaliate if North Korea attempted any kind of attack
  • At the same time defense secretary Jim Mattis, who is in the Middle East, said Kim Jong-un was 'reckless'
  • The aggressive stance is undermined by a carrier still off Australia's coast, 11 days after it was to head to Korea
  • The USS Carl Vinson will head out within 24 hours, Pentagon officials said - it was supposed to set off April 8
  • Russia and China have both called on the US to come to a peaceful accord with North Korea 
While many in the media have been saying the Carl Vinson was not headed for North Korea, it is pretty clear that the Reagan is already in the area.

Russia and China have so far not been threatened with a nuclear attack by the North Koreans.  Since Noth Korea is already in violation of previous agreements their word is of little value if there were some agreement to be struck.

The NY Times appears confused about the movement of the ships:

Carrier Said to Deter North Korea Was Sailing Other Way

The White House declared that ordering an American aircraft carrier into the Sea of Japan would be a powerful deterrent to North Korea. Except that the carrier was sailing in the opposite direction.
Hopefully, the North Koreans are also confused about the ship movements.

The Washington Post is also confused about US forces arrayed against North Korea:
Despite talk of a military strike, Trump’s ‘armada’ sailed away from North Korea

Instead of steaming toward the Korean Peninsula as President Trump had said, the Carl Vinson strike group was actually headed in the opposite direction to take part in “scheduled exercises” more than 3,000 miles away.

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