U.S. ships set for South Korea war games

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SEOUL, June 22 (UPI) -- A U.S. fleet that includes the aircraft carrier George Washington arrived off the South Korean coast for joint military exercises, officials said Friday.

The carrier was one of 10 U.S. ships and submarines slated to take part in three days of drills that will include South Korean and Japanese naval vessels, officials with the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff said.

South Korea's Yonhap news service said the exercises included testing the ability to track North Korean missile launches

Ground and air forces will also be involved.

The war games, which coincide with the 62nd anniversary of the start of the Korean War, will be conducted well to the south of the tense border with North Korea.

North Korea's state-run media this week protested the exercises and warned that "dark clouds of a new war" hung over the region.