Navy chief inspects joint Korea-US drills aboard US amphibious assault ship
Chief of Naval Operations of the Republic of Korea Admiral Yang Yong-mo, center, visits the USS Boxer to take part in the Ssang Yong amphibious landing exercise at Busan Naval Base, in this picture provided by the Navy, Aug. 28. Yonhap
Korea's Navy chief inspected ongoing joint military exercises between Korea and the United States on Wednesday aboard a U.S. amphibious assault ship, his office said.
Adm. Yang Yong-mo, chief of naval operations, visited the Combined Maritime Operation Center at a key naval base in Busan, 320 kilometers southeast of Seoul, and was briefed on the annual Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise set to conclude Thursday.
Yang also boarded the USS Boxer currently docked at the base to take part in the Ssang Yong amphibious landing exercise, which kicked off Monday for a 13-day run, involving the allies' Marines and naval forces.
Yang called for strengthening the allies' defense posture as he described their assets mobilized for the exercise as being enough to instill fear in the enemy, his office said.
The Wasp-class USS Boxer amphibious assault ship is capable of carrying amphibious landing craft and various helicopters and aircraft, including the F-35B stealth fighter. (Yonhap)