SEOUL — The Ronald Reagan Carrier Strike Group is in the western Pacific on its way to participate in the huge military exercise now under way in and around South Korea.

Details on exactly what the carrier strike group will do as part of the Key Resolve/Foal Eagle exercise were not immediately available from U.S. Navy officials Wednesday.

“The carrier strike group will conduct exercises and port visits to enhance maritime partnerships and promote peace and stability in the region,” according to a Navy news release.

The carrier strike group is comprised of the USS Ronald Reagan, guided-missile cruiser USS Chancellorsville and Destroyer Squadron 7, which includes the destroyer USS Preble.

The embarked Carrier Air Wing on board the Ronald Reagan includes Strike Fighter Squadrons 154, 147 and 146; Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 323; Airborne Early Warning Squadron 113; Tactical Electronic Warfare Squadron 139; Carrier Logistics Support Squadron 30 and Helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron 4.

The carrier strike group left its homeport of San Diego on Feb. 2 and entered the 7th Fleet’s area of responsibility Wednesday.

Approximately 12,800 U.S. and 200,000 South Korean troops are participating in the annual exercise, which began Feb. 28.

Key Resolve, the computer-based portion of the exercise, is scheduled to end Thursday. Foal Eagle, the peninsula-wide training portion of the drill, will run until April 30.

From staff reports

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