By Jung Sung-ki
Vice Adm. John M. Bird, commander of the U.S. 7th Fleet, will receive South Korea’s Order of National Security Merit Gukseon Medal today for his contributions to strengthening the alliance as well as maintaining peace on the Korean Peninsula, the Republic of Korea Navy said Monday.
The ROK Navy’s Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Kim Sung-chan will confer the medal to the U.S. commander at a ceremony to be held on the Dokdo landing ship, which has been anchored off the Operations Command in Busan, it said in a news release.
“Since assuming the role as commander of the 7th Fleet on July 12, 2008, Vice Adm. John M. Bird has made enormous efforts to maintaining the solid ROK-U.S. alliance by supporting the transition of wartime operational command, helping operations of ROK Navy’s Aegis destroyers, etc,” the release said.
Bird ordered the dispatch of U.S. Aegis warships to the peninsula several times to help ROK Navy’s Sejong the Great Aegis destroyer reach full operational capability, it said.
The U.S. commander also supports ROK Navy’s anti-piracy operations off the Somali coast by offering relevant training programs, said the release.
Following the sinking of the ROK Navy’s Cheonan frigate in March in the West Sea, Bird decided to send a host of U.S. warships to the peninsula to maintain a defense posture against North Korean provocations, as well as help salvage the wreckage.