Operation Formation Star
Operation Formation Star was the code name for the emergency re-deployment of U.S. Seventh Fleet warships to the Sea of Japan off the eastern coast of North Korea following that country's seizure of the USS Pueblo (AGER-2) in international waters on 23 January 1968.
| Operation Formation Star | |
|---|---|
| Part of Cold War, Korean Conflict, Pueblo Incident | |
Defender Station | |
| Type | Contingency operations |
| Location | |
| Planned by | U.S. Seventh Fleet |
| Commanded by | Rear Admiral Horace H. Epes, Jr. Commander Task Force 71 (CTF-71) |
| Target | North Korea |
| Date | January 25, 1968 to March 22, 1968 |
| Executed by | Task Force 71 (TF-71) |
| Outcome | Show of force |
This surge deployment was the largest build-up of U.S. naval forces around the Korean Peninsula since the end of the Korean War. Still, Operation Formation Star placed considerable strain on the Seventh Fleet's support for the Vietnam War during the Tet Offensive, particularly its aircraft carrier operations at Yankee Station in the Gulf of Tonkin.
Operation Formation Star was executed in conjunction with Operation Combat Fox, a surge deployment of additional land-based combat aircraft squadrons to the U.S. Fifth Air Force in the Far East. Additionally, the Pueblo Crisis saw a limited presidential-authorized call-up of U.S.-based units of the Naval Reserve, Air Force Reserve, and Air National Guard to active duty, the first such call-up since the Berlin Crisis of 1961.
Although a wide range of military options were considered, the Johnson Administration elected to resolve the Pueblo crisis diplomatically, with Operation Formation Star helping to provide a "measured show of force" during the Pueblo crisis.