Washington, Feb. 1 -- The US Navy has deployed three out of its 11 aircraft carriers in the western Pacific Ocean to boost efforts aimed at deterring China and North Korea, despite rising concerns over possible expansion of the Middle East conflict, the Nikkei Asia newspaper reported on Thursday.
The deployment is the first in two years and involves three US aircraft carriers, the USS Carl Vinson, USS Theodore Roosevelt and USS Ronald Reagan, stationed near an island chain linking Okinawa and Taiwan with the Philippines, the newspaper reported, citing the US Naval Institute.
"What I can say is that the carrier strike group is ready to execute the full range of operations ... These training opportunities where we can rapidly aggregate thes...