Why Did the ROK-US Joint Chiefs Chairman Board the Lincoln?

Nimitz-class aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln deployed to the U.S. 5th Fleet

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter] It is reported that Won In-chul, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, boarded the U.S. Navy's nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72, 100,000-ton class) currently stationed in international waters of the East Sea.

According to military officials on the 15th, Chairman Won boarded the Lincoln along with Paul LaCamera, Commander of the ROK-U.S. Combined Forces Command, the day before. The military stated that meetings between the chairmen of the ROK-U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff are routine, but choosing a U.S. nuclear-powered aircraft carrier for this meeting is considered an unusual move.

In this context, since the visit took place abruptly a day before the 110th anniversary (the 15th) of the birth of President Kim Il-sung, which North Korea commemorates as the "Day of the Sun," some interpret this as a warning action toward North Korea.

The ROK-U.S. Combined Forces Commander is reported to have assessed recent North Korean military activities and the situation on the Korean Peninsula aboard the carrier on the same day, and exchanged views on the upcoming first half joint command post exercise scheduled to begin on the 18th.

The U.S. carrier strike group centered on the Lincoln arrived in international waters of the East Sea on the 12th. This marks the first entry of a U.S. carrier into the East Sea in four years and five months since November 2017. The Lincoln carrier strike group also conducted joint exercises with Japan's Maritime Self-Defense Force in international waters of the East Sea afterward.

The Lincoln measures 332.85 meters in length, with a flight deck and hull width of 78.4 meters and 40.84 meters respectively, a height of 62.97 meters, and a flight deck area of approximately 5,000 pyeong (about 16,528 square meters).

The carrier is equipped with over 80 aircraft including F-35C and F/A-18 Super Hornet jets, and is accompanied by a task force consisting of nuclear-powered submarines, Aegis destroyers, and missile cruisers.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.