US and South Korea set to conduct drill

US Secretary of Defense Robert Gates spoke
to American soldiers on Tuesday during a stop
at Camp Casey in Seoul ahead of joint US-South Korea war games


Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=135577§ionid=351020405


Amid rising tensions on the Korean peninsula, the US military says its joint naval exercise with South Korea will start Sunday in the Yellow Sea.

The major military exercise, dubbed Invincible Spirit, is due to last four days in the Sea of Japan (East Sea).

Defense chiefs in the US and South Korea issued a statement on Tuesday, saying that the drill is aimed at highlighting the two countries' resolve in facing a potential threat posed by North Korea.

"These defensive, combined exercises are designed to send a clear message to North Korea that its aggressive behavior must stop, and that we are committed to together enhancing our combined defensive capabilities," the statement said.

The maneuvers will involve about 20 ships, 200 planes and 8,000 personnel.

The Beijing government has also expressed opposition to US warships carrying out an exercise in the Yellow Sea between the Chinese coast and the Korean peninsula.

Responding to Beijing's concerns over the drill, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen said earlier that the exercise was not intended to send a message to China.

Tensions have intensified on the Korean peninsula since the sinking of a South Korean warship earlier in March.

Seoul has blamed a North Korean torpedo for the shipwreck, which left 46 sailors dead.

The North, however, has rejected the claim as "smear campaign," insisting that its navy did not torpedo the South Korean ship.