U.S. Carriers Visit Korea, or Not

US Atlantic Fleet carrier in Pacific for first time in 17 years

Hmmm… very curious. See especially the paragraph about not visiting Busan….

HONOLULU (AP) – The USS Enterprise, a U.S. Atlantic Fleet aircraft carrier, steamed into the Asia-Pacific region for the first time in 17 years earlier this month, the military said.

The move is in response to a Pentagon policy – first publicly articulated in February – to boost the number of aircraft carriers the U.S. military has operationally available in the Pacific.

Military officials stressed the Enterprise’s presence has nothing to do with North Korea’s test-firing last week of a long-range missile into the Sea of Japan or other recent events.

U.S. military officials said Wednesday they could not confirm a report by the Seoul-based Yonhap news agency that the Enterprise would be calling on the South Korean port of Busan for four days starting next Tuesday.

Full article

I’ll calculate the steaming distance between the Pacific and the Gulf of Oman vs. the Caribbean and the Gulf of Oman when I get a chance. I’ll bet some spare change that the distance around Africa from the Atlantic exceeds the Pacific route, and that it is totally unfeasable to get a carrier task force through the Suez and down the Red Sea…