The US Defense Department on Tuesday announced that a second missile defense warship has taken position in western Pacific.

Pentagon Spokesman George Little made the announcement at a press briefing. He said after Aegis guided-missile destroyer USJohn McCain, another Aegis destroyer, the USDecatur, had arrived at a "pre-determined location in the western Pacific," and they " will be poised to respond to any missile threats to our allies or our territory."

Little said the destroyers are "in the western Pacific to perform a missile defense mission," adding the US Pacific Command "regularly deploys a mix of assets in the region to respond to missile threats, and we're cognizant of the missile threats" from the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK).

The deployment came after the United States conducted overflights of nuclear-capable B-2 stealth bombers to the Korean Peninsula, and the deployment of F-22 Raptor stealth fighters to South Korea.

However, Little denied reports that a sea-based X-band radar platform was deployed closer to the Korean Peninsula, saying the platform is undergoing scheduled sea trials, and decisions about further deployments have not been made to this point.