U.S. Sends AEGIS Cruiser To Japan Amid Possible N. Korean Weapons Test
Komfie Manalo - All Headline News Foreign Correspondent Tokyo, Japan (AHN) - The U.S. sends a cruiser with an advanced missile defense system to Japan amid intelligence reports that North Korea is set to test-fire a nuclear weapon. In July, tension in the region flared as Pyongyang test-fired seven long-range ballistic missiles over the coast of Japan. U.S. Secretary of the Navy Donald C. Winter says the USS Shiloh is equipped with AEGIS technology, a weapon designed to intercept enemy missiles. It is currently docked in the port city of Yokosuka. Winter says, "Shiloh's deployment builds upon the maritime detection and tracking capability already in place in the western Pacific." The cruiser arrived a day after Winter met with Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Aso. The Japanese official welcomed the deployment of the Shiloh to bolster the ballistic missile defense capabilities of Japan. Admiral William Fallon, the top U.S. commander in the Pacific, says that Washington and Tokyo will cooperate in developing a joint missile defense shield against any threats poised by North Korea. The USS Shiloh is the ninth AEGIS equipped cruiser to be deployed in Yokosuka. The cruiser demonstrated it ability to shoot down missiles during a test off the coast of Hawaii.
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