Navy plans major Pacific exercises in summer

Following the directions of the recently released defense review to shift its focus westward, the Navy plans to hold a series of major exercises involving four different aircraft carriers in the Pacific this summer, the Pacific Fleet commander said Tuesday.

"This summer we will see significant activity, including multiple carriers," Adm. Gary Roughead told an Asian Society luncheon.

Roughead said it has been at least 10 years since four carriers have operated in the Pacific Ocean at one time.

One of the carriers that will be involved in the summer exercises will be the San Diego-based Ronald Reagan. Another will come from the Atlantic Fleet, perhaps the first time since the Vietnam War that an East Coast carrier will have operated in the western Pacific, Roughead's spokesman, Navy Capt. Matt Brown, said.

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