WASHINGTON >> A U.S. official says a rare military exercise involving ships from three of the Navy’s aircraft carrier strike groups is being planned for next month in the Asia Pacific.

The likely exercise comes as President Donald Trump heads to the region, including visits to South Korea and China.

Lt. Gen. Kenneth Mckenzie, director of the Joint Staff, raised the prospect that three carrier groups could conduct operations together in the region. He provided no details. A U.S. official confirmed the plans, but wasn’t able to discuss the matter publicly so spoke anonymously.

Three Navy carriers and the ships that accompany them are currently thousands of miles apart in the Indian Ocean and the Pacific. But they are moving through the region and could be closer together in weeks.