The report headlined, 'US naval muscle 'sends out warning' ' (South China Morning Post, August 11), provides an erroneous characterisation of the purpose of the 'passing exercise' conducted recently by the USS Kitty Hawk and USS Constellation aircraft carrier battle groups in international waters between Vietnam and Singapore. The US Navy routinely operates in international waters around the world. The presence of these ships in the waters between Vietnam and Singapore was not in response to any specific issue or tensions in the area; indeed, it came about as a result of the ships' deployment to other parts of the world. The USS Kitty Hawk was returning to Yokosuka, Japan, following a deployment to the Arabian Gulf, while the USS Constellation was on her way to the Arabian Gulf to relieve another ship. The 'passing exercise' was planned before the heightened tension in the Taiwan Strait. The proximity of the ships created the opportunity to conduct the 'passing exercise', in which ships engage in training exercises. Ships and aircraft of the US Seventh Fleet routinely transit through and operate in these international waters and it is not helpful for their normal movements to be interpreted in ways that serve to heighten tensions. BARBARA ZIGLI Information Officer American Consulate General
