By Jung Sung-ki
A South Korean-U.S. anti-submarine exercise in the western waters of the Korean Peninsula has been postponed due to an approaching typhoon, Seoul’s Joint Chiefs of Staff announced Saturday.
The five-day drill, which was due to start Sunday, will be the second in a series of joint exercises planned and designed to send a clear message of deterrence to North Korea after it was blamed for the sinking of South Korea’s Cheonan ship in March.
The JCS said in a statement that the maneuvers had been put off as Typhoon Malou was tearing through southern Japan on Sept. 4 and is expected to hit South Korea’s western coast early this week. According to the weather forecast Sunday, however, the typhoon would hit the southern part of the peninsula and not affect the western part.
New dates for the exercise will be announced later, the JCS said.
The anti-submarine drill, denounced by North Korea as a preparation for war, is to be the latest show of force since Seoul and Washington accused Pyongyang in May of sending a submarine to torpedo the warship, killing 46 sailors.
South Korea has also held independent naval drills since May, and the two allies went ahead last month with a regularly scheduled land-based exercise.
Participating units from the U.S. Navy would include the guided missile destroyers USS Curtis D. Wilbur (DDG 54) and USS Fitzgerald (DDG 62); and the ocean surveillance ship USNS Victorious (T-AGOS 19).
Assets also include a fast attack submarine and P-3C Orion aircraft from Patrol Squadron Nine (VP-9). The USS Wilbur and USS Fitzgerald are forward deployed to Yokosuka, Japan, and VP-9 remained at its home port at Marine Corps Base Hawaii Kaneohe Bay.
South Korea was to deploy two destroyers, a frigate, a patrol craft, P-3C aircraft from Carrier Air Wing-Six and an attack submarine.
The ASW exercise will focus on anti-submarine warfare tactics, techniques and procedures. The first exercise in this series, "Invincible Spirit," combined naval and air readiness exercise and was conducted in the seas east of the Korean Peninsula from July 25-28. An F-22 Raptor aircraft and the USS George Washington nuclear-powered aircraft carrier participated.
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