The U.S. Navy’s aircraft carrier Carl Vinson (CVN) from the U.S. Navy’s First Carrier Strike Group is docked at the Busan Operational Base on the 21st to strengthen the South Korea-U.S. combined defense posture in response to North Korea’s nuclear and missile threats. This marks the first visit of a U.S. Navy aircraft carrier to South Korea since the start of the second term of the Donald Trump administration.
According to the Navy, the Carl Vinson, along with the cruiser Princeton and the Aegis destroyer Sterett, arrived at the Busan Naval Operations Base this afternoon (2nd).
It has been about eight months since the last visit of a U.S. aircraft carrier, the Roosevelt, in June last year. The Carl Vinson was also docked at Busan Naval Operations Base in November 2023.
Regarding this visit, the Navy explained that it is part of the practical realization of the U.S. government’s recently reaffirmed steadfast extended deterrence commitment. It aims to demonstrate the firm combined defense posture of the South Korea-U.S. alliance in response to ongoing threats from North Korea and to enhance the interoperability of combined forces.
During the Carl Vinson’s stay in Busan, the South Korea-U.S. navies plan to conduct activities such as mutual visits to ships and a wreath-laying ceremony at the UN Memorial Cemetery to promote goodwill between the two nations’ navies.
Brigadier General Lee Nam-kyu, head of the Naval Operations Command, stated, “Our military will strongly retaliate against any provocation from North Korea,” adding that “the South Korea-U.S. alliance will support peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and in the region based on a close cooperation system.”
The Carl Vinson is expected to partake in the South Korea-U.S.-Japan maritime exercise, likely to be held in waters near the Korean Peninsula later this month.
A Navy official noted, “South Korea and the United States are in discussions regarding training in connection with the visit of the aircraft carrier, a U.S. strategic asset. However, details of the training plan are currently limited.”
The Carl Vinson, the third Nimitz-class aircraft carrier of the U.S., measures 333 meters in length, 77 meters in width, and has a flight deck of 76.4 meters. It harbors over 80 aircraft, including F-35C stealth fighters, F/A-18 Super Hornet fighters, E-2C Hawkeye early warning aircraft, EA-18G Growler electronic warfare aircraft, and MH-60S Seahawk maritime helicopters, and houses a crew of about 5,500 members.