The massive Valiant Shield military exercise off the waters of Guam sends several messages, one of which is 'peace through strength,' said the admiral of one of three carriers in the exercise.

That message is displayed through the Navy’s invitation of China to view the war games — an attempt to make the sleeping military giant a friend rather than a potential foe.

But the exercise, the largest gathering of aircraft carriers in the Pacific since the Vietnam War, also comes at a time when North Korea has given strong indication it will test-fire a missile powerful enough to reach the United States.

All the more reason, officials said, to establish regional stability through strength and numbers. With more than 20,000 personnel, three carriers, 28 ships and 290 aircraft in the air, Valiant Shield boasts both.

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