TOKYO -- Three U.S. aircraft carriers -- the Theodore Roosevelt, the Ronald Reagan and the Nimitz -- have all been on patrol in the Asia-Pacific region as of this week, the first time a trio of carrier groups have made a joint appearance in these waters in several years.
The last time this occurred appears to be in 2017, when North Korea was ratcheting up its missile threat, according to the U.S. Naval Institute. This time the deployment comes when China has been unusually active in asserting its maritime territorial claims.
