US aircraft carrier strike group heads toward Korean Peninsula

LOS ANGELES - The US Carl Vinson Strike Group has departed from Singapore and sailed northward to the Western Pacific ocean near the Korean Peninsula, the United States Pacific Fleet Commander announced Saturday.

The deployment came amid rising tensions on the Korean Peninsula as the Democratic People's Republic of Korea test-fired another ballistic missile recently, and was viewed as further strengthening of US presence in the region, according to local media reports citing US military officials.

Adm. Harry Harris, commander of US Pacific Command, directed the operation, said a press release posted on the fleet's official website.

The strike group, which includes the Nimitz-class aircraft supercarrier USS Carl Vinson as well as several other missile destroyers and missile cruisers, canceled a previously planned port visit to Australia and diverted to the Western Pacific.

The Strike Group, deployed from San Diego, California, to the Western Pacific since Jan 5, participated in numerous bilateral exercises with the Japan Maritime Self Defense Force and South Korean Navy in the past three months.