<p>
"We've had a presence in the Western Pacific and the South China Sea for 50 to 60 years, even going back before World War II," Rear Adm. Tom Carney, who's leading the naval exchange, told reporters. "We will maintain a presence in the Western Pacific and the South China Sea as we have for decades, and we have no intention of departing from that kind of activity."
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<p>
He spoke on the pier in central Danang, once home to a bustling US military base during the Vietnam War, in front of the diving and salvage ship USNS Safeguard. American and Vietnamese flags flapped in the steamy air from the ship, and two guided missile destroyers _ USS Chung-Hoon and USS Preble _ were visible off the coast.
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<a href="http://usa.chinadaily.com.cn/world/2011-07/17/content_12922041.htm" target="_blank" class="news_link">Read it all here</a>



3 US ships in Vietnam to train with former foe