The Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force and the US Navy are conducting joint drills south of the Japanese island of Okinawa, involving two US aircraft carriers, the USS Carl Vinson and the USS Theodore Roosevelt, as well as Japanese destroyer Ise, Japan’s military command said Thursday.
The drills began on January 29 and will run through February 1, and are aimed at “enhancing the tactical capabilities and interoperability of the Japanese Naval Self-Defense Forces and the US Navy,” the military command said.
US missile cruisers USS Lake Erie, USS Princeton and US Navy destroyers are also taking part in the drills.
