A U.S. aircraft carrier has arrived in South Korea for military drills. This comes as Washington, Seoul, and Tokyo released a joint statement condemning deepening military ties between North Korea and Russia.

The statement showcases a commitment to a renewed “strategic partnership” as the relationship between Russia and North Korea strengthens. These ties have been deepening since July 2023, when Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu visited North Korea. 

The USS Theodore Roosevelt is the fourth of 11 Nimitz-class nuclear-powered aircraft carriers. The deployment of such a vessel means the United States is hoping to send a reminder of its force and military to North Korea. However, the ability to show off some of our military might to China is never lost on the U.S.

The current deployment has everyone on edge, but it shouldn’t. The deployment of the USS Theodore Roosevelt will stabilize tensions in the region. The Biden administration has made it a habit of quelling tensions in East Asian waters with our aircraft carriers. Initially, this created a back-and-forth between the U.S. and North Korea last summer as North Korea responded to U.S. naval deployments to South Korea with additional missile tests and more pugnacious rhetoric. 

This moment is more worrisome as Russia faces challenges in restoring its weapons inventory following extensive use during the conflict with Ukraine. Senior Policy Director for the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation John Erath spoke with Voice of America about the Russian technology transfers and tensions in the Korean Peninsula. Erath said Russian technology transfers “would not so much change the threat as add to the atmosphere of tension on the peninsula.” But he told VOA via email, “It will be important to keep defense and deterrence arrangements updated.” Therefore the emerging partnership with North Korea should draw more concern than the usual aggression on behalf of the North Koreans. 

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This means the U.S. should be concerned on behalf of its interests as a Ukrainian ally. Policy analysts have shown that the key concern would not change the conflict between the Koreans but would continue to supply the Russians with more weapons. South Korean Defense Minister Shin Won-sik said in February that North Korea had shipped to Russia an estimated 6,700 shipping containers that potentially contained as many as 3 million 152 mm artillery shells. The influx of North Korean ammunition helped shift the war back in Russia’s favor, said Michael Kofman, a senior fellow in the Russia and Eurasia Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. It has been one of the “critical factors affecting the conduct of operations and who has the advantage in a war characterized by attrition,” Kofman said.

We must be concerned. As long as the U.S. continues to fund and further our alliance with Ukraine, this arms practice is directly against the interests of the U.S. government. The show of defense by the USS Theodore Roosevelt must work against North Korea’s operation if we want to continue the most efficient way to support our ally.