Joint naval exercise kicks off with US super carrier
Nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan / Korea Times file
By Jun Ji-hye
South Korea and the United States began a large-scale joint naval exercise, Monday, in all seas off the Korean Peninsula in a show of force against possible provocations from North Korea.
It is very rare for the two countries to conduct joint drills in the East, West and South Seas, officials said, adding that this reflects the seriousness the two allies attach to the military tension caused by the North’s continuous provocative actions.
Washington dispatched the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, the USS Ronald Reagan, for the six-day exercise, Invincible Spirit 2016, which focuses on training the allies’ naval forces on joint precision attacks on the North’s military installations and the regime’s leadership that would be launched in the event of a war with the reclusive state.
The drill was originally planned to take place in the West Sea and southern coastal areas off Jeju Island only, but following the North’s fifth nuclear test, Sept. 9, the training area was expanded to all the waters surrounding the nation.
“The expansion of the exercise area is aimed at showing the allies’ firm readiness posture to jointly respond to the North’s repeated provocations,” said Cdr. Jang Wook, the Navy’s public affairs officer.
The South Korean Navy mobilized about 40 warships, including the Aegis-equipped destroyer Sejong the Great, while the U.S. Navy mobilized seven vessels including the Reagan and an Aegis-equipped cruiser as well as P-3 and P-8 maritime patrol aircraft.
The allies will carry out a maritime counter special operation force with the scenario of destroying North Korean special forces that attempt to infiltrate into rear areas of the South Korean waters. The Reagan will lead aircraft carrier strike group operations in the East Sea.
“The navies of the two countries plan to enhance their interoperability and capability of jointly conducting anti-submarine, anti-aircraft and precision-guided strike operations,” the Navy said in a press release.
Previously, the allies conducted a four-day large-scale joint naval exercise in the East Sea, July 25, 2010, following the North’s torpedoing of the South’s warship Cheonan, March 26 that year that killed 46 sailors.
They also conducted similar drills in the West Sea from Nov. 29 to Dec. 2 in the same year after the North’s deadly shelling of Yeonpyeong Island, Nov. 23, which caused the death of two marines and two civilians as well as severe property damage.
At that time, the aircraft carrier USS George Washington participated in both drills.
The Navy said the exercise this time became more offensive-oriented and the exercise area was considerably expanded compared to the two conducted in 2010.
Since the latest nuclear test, the Kim Jong-un regime is raising military tension by indicating that it may soon test an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). The indication came as the regime has said it will “continue to have its door wide open with greater enthusiasm towards conquering the world of outer space.”
Pyongyang claims that the launch of a satellite is part of a peaceful space program, but the international community views it as a cover to test technologies used in the development of an ICBM, believed to have a range of more than 10,000 kilometers, which in theory is capable of striking targets on the U.S. mainland.
Authorities from Seoul and Washington are also paying keen attention to the possibility that the North could also push ahead with an additional nuclear test in defiance of global warnings.