Title: Trump's missing 'armada' finally heading to Korea... maybe... Source:
The Philadelphia Inquirer / Daily News URL Source:http://www.philly.com/philly/news/n ... finally-heading-to-Korea-.html Published:Apr 19, 2017 Author:Simon Denyer and Emily Rauhala Post Date:2017-04-19 09:20:43 by Willie Green Keywords:None Views:1624 Comments:12
BEIJING — It was supposed to be steaming toward North Korea more than a week ago, an "armada" signaling American resolve. Then it wasn't.
Now, it seems the USS Carl Vinson may finally be heading north.
"Our deployment has been extended 30 days to provide a persistent presence in the waters off the Korean Peninsula," Rear Adm. Jim Kilby, the commander of Carrier Strike Group One, said in a message posted on the Carl Vinson's Facebook page addressed to "families and loved ones" of the personnel on board.
The Carl Vinson, accompanied by a carrier air wing, two guided-missile destroyers and a cruiser, was supposed to have been ordered to sail north after leaving Singapore on April 8. But a week later, the Navy published photos showing it was actually sailing the opposite direction through the Sunda Strait between the Indonesia islands of Sumatra and Java, more than 3,000 miles southwest of the Korean Peninsula — and more than 500 miles southeast of Singapore.
The White House is now facing questions about why it was not clear about the carrier group's whereabouts. Several times over the the last two weeks, the Trump administration said the ships were heading north.
On April 9, Adm. Harry Harris said the carrier strike group was headed north to the Western Pacific after departing Singapore on April 8. A spokesperson for U.S. Pacific Command linked the move directly to North Korea's "reckless, irresponsible and destabilizing program of missile tests and pursuit of a nuclear weapons capability."
Days later, Defense Secretary James Mattis told reporters the Carl Vinson was "on her way up there." In an interview that aired April 12, President Trump said the U.S. was sending ships. "An armada, very powerful," he said.
It is not clear why the carrier strike group never left Southeast Asia, or why the Trump administration did not clarify where she was. On Tuesday, Pacific Command said only that the strike group completed military exercises — and would now head north.
"After departing Singapore on April 8 and cancelling a scheduled port visit to Perth, the Strike Group was able to complete a curtailed period of previously scheduled training with Australia in international waters off the northwest coast of Australia," a U.S. Pacific Command spokesperson said in a statement. "The Carl Vinson Strike Group is heading north to the Western Pacific as a prudent measure."
Both U.S. and South Korean media have reported that the Vinson is now expected to arrive in waters off the Korean peninsula by April 25, just as North Korea marks the anniversary of its army's founding.
"Our mission is to reassure allies and our partners of our steadfast commitment to the Indo-Asia-Pacific region," Kilby wrote. "We will continue to be the centerpiece of visible maritime deterrence, providing our national command authority with flexible deterrent options, all domain access, and a visible forward presence."
China, meanwhile, is feeling anything but reassured, warning recently that "a storm is about to break" over the divided Korean Peninsula.
Beijing, long considered North Korea's last remaining ally, has stepped up its criticism of Pyongyang. At a daily Foreign Ministry briefing on Friday, minisry spokesman Lu Kang reiterated the Chinese side's "serious concern" about "recent trends about North Korea's nuclear and missile development."
He urged all parties to avoid "adding fuel to fire."
"Sounds like Trump is more confused about our naval whereabouts than the enemy."
Trump wasn't even involved in the story! The MSM made it up and when everyone found out that the carrier group was actually heading in the opposite direction, they blamed Trump for not knowing.
Baloney... Here is Trump exactly 1 week ago on Fox News:
At 0:46 he says "We are sending an armada...
And then the armada sails in the opposite direction while Trump's bootlickers & lackeys keep trying to claim it's heading for Korea...
They're clearly a bungling & inept bunch of boobs who have no idea what they're doing. Trump may have a fancy title, but there's nobody in actual control... It's just all blustery & random babbling to maintain his hyperinflated ego... "The emperor has no clothes."
It is not clear why the carrier strike group never left Southeast Asia, or why the Trump administration did not clarify where she was.
Of course it is. "The Fleet is coming!" was intended to scare Kim.
Generally speaking these things are taken at face value.
But our media hates Trump, hates the Administration, and hates America under Trump, so THEREFORE they make a POINT of showing the world that the US is using soft power, bluffing.
Kim didn't call our bluff. Our own media did it for him.
You really believe that a carrier group might be difficult to spot?
You have to get close enough to identify the vessels otherwise you are whistling in the wind, if this group was busy where are all the other carrier groups america claims to have or are they an illusionary armada too?
