U.S. Naval Exercises Off Korean Peninsula Intended as ‘Message of Reassurance’
But he read a short statement outlining themes he planned to address in a speech on Saturday, including the importance of "strengthening alliances," "upholding international law"
and "maintaining stability." "As a Pacific nation, we have enduring interests and commitments in the Asia-Pacific region," said Mr. Mattis, noting the need to help nations bolster their own security while strengthening the United States military to deter war.
By MICHAEL R. GORDONJUNE 2, 2017
SINGAPORE — United States officials said on Friday
that naval maneuvers this week off the Korean Peninsula were the first in two decades to involve two American aircraft carriers in those waters and were intended as a "message of reassurance" to the region.
The new details about the exercises, which also involved Japanese warships, were disclosed as Defense Secretary Jim Mattis arrived in Singapore for a security conference during which concerns over North Korea’s nuclear
and missile programs are certain to be front and center.
Mr. Helvey said that I don’t expect this to change North Korea’s behavior,
The conference, an annual event organized by the International Institute for Strategic Studies, a research center based in London, also provides
a venue for Mr. Mattis to meet with his counterparts from South Korea, Japan, the Philippines, Australia, Turkey and other nations.
American officials have generally portrayed the debate as a matter of internal South Korean politics, and Mr. Helvey insisted
that the United States had been forthright with South Korea.
