U.S. Planning to Station Additional Aegis Destroyers in the Pacific Ocean

The U.S. Department of Defense stated on Thursday that it is planning to station 15 Aegis destroyers and three cruisers in the Pacific Ocean by the end of 2006, following the new missile defense (MD) system.

The first step the U.S. will take is to station two warships at the naval base in Yokosuka, Japan, and three warships at the naval base in Hawaii this year, said the official on the condition of anonymity.

The two Aegis destroyers which will be stationed in Yokosuka will also serve as a defense system in the East Sea and the Pacific Ocean area against the North’s missile attack.

The official added that the 15 destroyers can track down long-range missiles and one of the three vessels will be equipped with the newly developed Standard Missile 3 (SM3) sea-to-air interception missiles.