Retired Colonel Ralph Peters said on Fox News Wednesday that the U.S. Navy’s “goof-up” with the USS Carl Vinson strike group actually helped to deter North Korean aggression.
President Trump had said last week that the Vinson was heading to the Korean peninsula, but in fact, the strike group had been heading in the opposite direction.
“The odd thing is it turned out well because this ball of confusion turned into a psychological warfare tool against North Koreans,” Peters said. “It really got their attention.”
Peters described how the so-called “goof-up” developed: “Admiral Harris, our commander in the Pacific issued an unclear statement. Secretary Mattis, uncharacteristically compounded the confusion. And then our president just ran with the confusion.”
“Not everything goes perfectly in life, but this turned out all right,” Peters said.