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| U.S. aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson |
Allies seek to send strong warning to NK
By Yi Whan-woo
South Korea and the United States began their annual Foal Eagle military exercise Wednesday, sending a strong warning to North Korea over its escalating saber-rattling.
A military official said the scale of the joint field training exercise will be around the same as in 2016, citing that the drill last year was the largest-ever with 300,000 South Korean troops and 15,000 U.S. personnel.
During a telephone conversation with U.S. Secretary of Defense James Mattis, Defense Minister Han Min-koo assessed that the drill, along with its parallel Key Resolve exercise, has contributed significantly to peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula.
The Foal Eagle exercise will run through the end of April, while Key Resolve, a largely-computer-simulated exercise, will take place from March 13 to 23.
Mattis told Han that the U.S. "remains steadfast in its commitment" to the defense of South Korea, according to Pentagon spokesman Navy Capt. Jeff Davis.
"He further emphasized that any attack on the United States or its allies will be defeated, and any use of nuclear weapons will be met with a response that is effective and overwhelming," David said.
"The phone conversation was intended to send a more effective warning to North Korea over its nuclear and ballistic missile provocations on the occasion of the drills," a defense ministry official said.
"The allies agreed to bolster consultations concerning defense to ensure joint readiness for war while keeping an eye on North Korea's possible provocations in the future," he added.
Washington is expected to deploy a series of strategic assets from the U.S. as well as from military bases in Guam and Japan.
The USS Carl Vinson, a Nimitz-class supercarrier, will join the Foal Eagle exercise after departing from San Diego, Calif., on March 5, and will participate in another drill in the Asia-Pacific region afterward.
The nuclear-powered aircraft carrier will carry 24 F/A-18 Super Hornet fighter jets, 10 air tankers, 10 S-3 Viking anti-submarine warfare aircraft, six SH-3H Sea King anti-submarine helicopters, four EA-6B Prowler tactical jamming aircraft and four E-2 Hawkeye early-warning aircraft.
It will be accompanied by the guided-missile cruiser USS Lake Champlain (CG-57) and two Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers — USS Michael Murphy (DDG-112) and USS Wayne E. Meyer (DDG-108).
From the U.S. Marine Corps in Japan, F-35B stealth fighters will be deployed to the peninsula for the first time.
"An F-35B is capable of evading anti-aircraft radar and making preemptive strikes," the official said.
The official speculated that strategic bombers at Andersen Air Force Base in Guam, such as B-1Bs and B-52s, may join the exercise as well.
North Korea repeatedly protests that both Foal Eagle and Key Resolve are rehearsals for invasion.
On Wednesday, Pyongyang's Korea Central News Agency and the Rodong Sinmun reported that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un stressed "a need for preparation for a fight" during his visit to an army unit tasked with defending Pyongyang.
He listed guidelines to strike South Korea and the U.S. "mercilessly."
"It is seen that Kim visited the military unit in response to the Seoul-Washington military exercise," the official said.
Meanwhile, Han and Mattis also agreed to work closely for prompt deployment of a U.S. Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery, which the two allies are pushing to install this year in Seongju, North Gyeongsang Province.
Mattis "highly assessed" the South Korean ministry's latest acquisition of land to deploy the THAAD in a land-swap deal with Lotte Group.
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