U.S. Finishes War Games in the Pacific

Posted on: Jun. 23rd, 2006 || Source: cbsnews.com | E-mail Article | Print Article

(AP) The largest U.S. military exercise in the Pacific in decades ended Friday after showing North Korea and other nations that the United States can swiftly muster a huge combat force in the region, officials said.

The five-day "Valiant Shield" exercises massed an armada of three aircraft carriers and 25 other ships along with 22,000 troops and 280 warplanes off this tiny U.S. territory about halfway between Hawaii and Japan.

Tensions are rising in the region over the possible test-launch of a North Korean long-range missile. Two guided missile cruisers participating in the games were assigned off the Korean coast to monitor the situation.

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