US, South Korea Hold Naval Drill in Yellow Sea: Aircraft Carrier USS George Washington in Drill

U.S. aircraft carrier USS George Washington invited media on board over the weekend, while it joined the US-South Korean joint naval drill at Yellow Sea. The nuclear-powered aircraft carrier is scheduled to lead large-scale military exercises aimed at honing the two countries' joint capability to cope with North Korean aggression. USS George Washington chief David A. Lausman: "The communications are improved, the misunderstandings go down, the miscalculations then go down and tensions go down. So, the only point of this exercise, right now, for us and the Republic of Korea, we are working together. The invitation is here to do this with every country that we meet in international waters." The three-day exercise will be held off the west coast of South Korea, and about 10 warships and submarines and hundreds of combat aircraft will also participate. North Korea has criticized the military exercises. Tensions have been high on the Korean peninsula since the North's two military attacks, killing 46 South Korean soldiers and four civilians in 2010. The United States has about 28,000 troops stationed in South Korea to help defend the ally against a potential threat from the North.