Secretary of State Rex Tillerson says the USA missile strikes against a Syrian air base in retaliation for a chemical weapon attack carries a message for any nation operating outside of global norms. American administrations have long ruled out even pinprick strikes on North Korean nuclear sites or missile targets because of the potential for catastrophic damage in South Korea.
Mr Tillerson said that if other nations violate worldwide norms and become a threat to others, "at some point a response is likely to be undertaken".
Some observers have speculated that Thursday's missile strike against Syria was also meant to send a warning message to Pyongyang.
North Korea has long claimed that the USA is preparing to conduct similar precision strikes against its territory or even launch an all-out invasion.
Carl Vinson's patrol is part of a recently employed concept that keeps ships originating from the U.S. Pacific coast under operational control of the 3rd Fleet.
"This is a rogue regime that is now a nuclear capable regime and President Xi and President Trump agree that that is unacceptable", McMaster said.
The diversion of an armada of American warships from port visits in Australia to the waters off North Korea gives US President Donald Trump a "full range of options" against dictator Kim Jong-un's regime.
North Korea has pledged to bolster its defenses to protect against airstrikes.
"What happened in Syria once again taught a bitter lesson that...one can defend oneself from the imperialist aggression only when one has one's strength", the foreign ministry spokesman was quoted as saying by Pyongyang's official Korean Central News Agency. The report did not name the official, which is common in KCNA reports.
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However, Moon avoided directly answering questions about the rumored USA strike on North Korea, reported Reuters.
The deployment comes a few days after U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping concluded their first summit, and Trump ordered an airstrike against Syria's military bases.
North Korea responded by warning that it will retaliate if the global community steps up sanctions, saying the U.S. was forcing the situation "to the brink of war".
"They have indicated that they will, and I think we need to allow them time to take actions", Tillerson said.
However, last week an Air Force general said she was extremely confident the United States could intercept a ballistic missile fired by North Korea.
In South Korea last month, Tillerson said "the policy of strategic patience has ended".
USS Carl Vinson sails into the sunrise during Operation Enduring Freedom December 7, 2001 in the Arabian Sea. It is routine for the U.S.S Vinson to be deployed to the Western Pacific, but usually not at a time of such high tension around the Korean Peninsula.
A North Korean foreign minister said Sunday that USA airstrikes on Syria justified North Korea's country's nuclear defense program, the AP reported, as the United States sent a fleet of Navy destroyers towards the Korean Peninsula.
Trump has threatened unilateral action against the reclusive communist state, a threat that appeared more palpable after Thursday's strike on a Syrian airfield following an apparent chemical attack.
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