Pence Addresses US Carrier Mix-Up

Vice President Mike Pence says inaccurate statements from the White House and Pentagon that the USS Carl Vinson was near the Korean peninsula—when it was actually more than 3,000 miles away—were not intentional. Asked in a CNN interview if officials had intentionally misspoken on the location of the flagship of the Carrier Strike Group One, Pence said, "Oh, I think not," per Politico. A senior administration official has blamed miscommunication between the Pentagon and the White House and "a lack of follow-up with commanders," per CNN. But Pence gave no reason for the misstatements when speaking from a US naval base in Japan.

Pence instead referred to the strong US military presence in the region and said the US would continue to put pressure on North Korea. The Washington Post reports the USS Carl Vinson might finally be part of that pressure. The aircraft carrier, which had been taking part in military exercises with the Australian navy south of Singapore, is believed to be on its way to the Korean peninsula at last. "Our deployment has been extended 30 days to provide a persistent presence in the waters off the Korean Peninsula," the commander of Carrier Strike Group One says in a post on the Carl Vinson's Facebook page. The ship is expected to arrive by Tuesday, the Post reports. (More USS Carl Vinson stories.)