US to carry out deck aviation exercises near Japan’s Iwo Jima

The US will carry out exercises involving the Ronald Reagan aircraft carrier, stationed at the Yokosuka naval base near the island of Iwo Jima, the Ministry of Defense of Japan announced Monday, Report informs, citing TASS.

The exercise, which will focus on practicing on-deck aviation take-off and landing, will take place between May 9 and 19 and will involve F/A-18E Super Hornet fighters, as well as Grumman E-2 Hawkeye early warning planes. The Ministry noted that the exercise location may be altered, should weather conditions change.

"This exercise is extremely important for reinforcement of US deterrence and reaction capabilities in the region, based on the Japanese-American treaty on mutual cooperation and security," the Japanese Defense Ministry said.