A group of US warships is headed to the Western Pacific Ocean near Korea, a US defence official has told the media.
Admiral Harry Harris, commander of US Pacific Command, directed the USS Carl Vinson strike group to sail north to the Western Pacific after departing Singapore on Saturday, CNN said, citing Pacific Command.
The move of the Vinson strike group towards the vicinity of the Korean peninsula comes in response to recent North Korean "provocations", CNN said.
The Vinson Carrier is considered the first major US military presence in the region under the administration of President Donald Trump.
It started routine patrol operations in the South China Sea on February 18.
Earlier this week, North Korea launched a ballistic missile into the East Sea just ahead of a meeting between Mr Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Mr Trump and Mr Xi discussed the North Korean nuclear issue in their talks at the Mar-a-Lago resort.
North Korea has ramped up its nuclear program under its relatively new leader Kim Jong Un, carrying out two nuclear tests and launching some 20 ballistic missiles last year alone.
The international community also is concerned that North Korea could be working on an intercontinental ballistic missile, which could reach the western US as well as other countries closer to North Korea.
According to Japanese media reports today, Mr Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe reiterated the need for close co-ordination on the North Korea issue in a 45-minute phone call.
In recent days, the president has called on China to help take Pyongyang to task.
But in an interview with the Financial Times published last week, Mr Trump noted that the US would tackle North Korea even without China's help.
With AAP