Nuclear-powered sub arrives in South Korea amid NK provocations

The USS Springfield nuclear-powered fast attack submarine arrives at a naval base in Busan, Saturday. Courtesy of US Pacific Fleet

US aircraft carrier may participate in next month's combined exercise

By Kang Seung-woo, Jung Min-ho

South Korea and the United States have stepped up deterrence efforts against North Korea's mounting threats, recently stoked by its launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), with their latest warning coming over the weekend ― the arrival of a U.S. nuclear-powered submarine in Busan.

In addition, the allies conducted a tabletop exercise last week to respond to possible North Korean nuclear attacks. A U.S. nuclear-powered aircraft carrier is also expected to participate in the allies' springtime combined exercise, scheduled to begin in the middle of next month.

According to the U.S. Pacific Fleet, Saturday, the Los Angeles-class fast-attack submarine USS Springfield arrived in Busan for a scheduled port visit earlier that day.

“The USS Springfield is one of five Los Angeles-class fast-attack submarines forward-deployed to Guam and routinely operates in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations, conducting maritime security operations and supporting national security interests,” it said on its Facebook.

The rare disclosure of the submarine's deployment to the Korean Peninsula seems intended to send a strong warning to North Korea following repeated missile provocations. The Kim Jong-un regime launched a Hwasong-15 ICBM, Feb. 18, believed to be capable of hitting targets anywhere on the U.S. mainland.

“The arrival of the U.S. nuclear-powered submarine would serve as Washington's extended deterrence commitments to Seoul,” said Shin Jong-woo, a senior researcher at the Korea Defense and Security Forum.

“A nuclear-powered submarine is a weapon system that can covertly approach and subdue any North Korean submarine, so I think it can be another level of warning to North Korea,” Shin added.

On Thursday (local time), South Korea and the United States conducted their eighth Deterrence Strategy Committee Table-Top Exercise, also known as DSC TTX, at the Pentagon in Washington, D.C.

The USS Springfield nuclear-powered fast attack submarine is docked at a naval base in Busan, Saturday. Courtesy of US Pacific Fleet

“Both sides affirmed that the alliance stands ready to respond to the DPRK's [North Korea's] nuclear threats,” the South Korean and U.S. delegations said in a statement after the drill. “The U.S. side highlighted that its 2022 Nuclear Posture Review states that any nuclear attack by North Korea against the United States or its allies and partners is unacceptable and will result in the end of that regime.”

During that exercise, the allies discussed ways to maintain peace on the Peninsula, including “potential options” in the case of North Korea's nuclear weapons use.

“The United States will continue to field flexible nuclear forces suited to deterring regional nuclear conflict, including the capability to forward-deploy strategic bombers, dual-capable fighter aircraft, and nuclear weapons to the region,” the U.S. delegation said in the statement. “The United States will continue to work with the ROK [South Korea] to ensure an effective mix of capabilities, concepts, deployments, exercises, and tailored options to deter and, if necessary, respond to coercion and aggression by the DPRK.”

After the DSC TTX, the delegations visited nuclear submarine training facilities in Georgia, where they were briefed on the mission of the Ohio-class nuclear-powered submarines, which act as virtually undetectable undersea launch platforms for intercontinental ballistic missiles.

The very same day, North Korea announced that it test-fired four long-range cruise missiles in waters off its eastern coast in its latest provocation.

The launches, confirmed by South Korea's military, were intended to verify the reliability of the missiles and “war posture” of North Korea's nuclear combat unit, according to its state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

South Korean delegates pose with U.S. officials inside the USS West Virginia, a U.S. Ohio-class ballistic missile submarine, during their visit to the nuclear submarine training facilities at Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay, Georgia, Thursday (local time). Courtesy of Ministry of National Defense

“The four strategic cruise missiles precisely hit the preset target on the East Sea of Korea after traveling the 2,000 kilometer-long elliptical and eight-shaped flight orbits for 10,208 seconds to 10,224 seconds,” the KCNA said of the weapons drills conducted the previous day in Kim Chaek, a city in North Hamgyong Province. “The drill clearly demonstrated, once again, the war posture of the DPRK nuclear combat force bolstering in every way its deadly nuclear counterattack capability against the hostile forces.”

Also on Friday, Kwon Jong-gun, director-general of U.S. affairs at North Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, warned that, if Washington does not stop its “hostile action,” Pyongyang will regard it as a “declaration of war.” He also described the DSC TTX as a practice for “nuclear war against us.”

“While strengthening the alliance with its followers, the U.S. is denying our sovereign rights unilaterally, which is a blatant ignorance of and an unacceptable challenge to our country,” he said in a statement. “The only way of easing tensions on and around the Korean Peninsula is for the U.S. to abandon the pledges to deploy its strategic assets for South Korea and to halt joint military exercises against the DPRK.”

The regime has stepped up criticism of Washington in the past week. While test-launching an intercontinental ballistic missile and short-range missiles before the latest provocation, it blamed the U.S. and South Korea for fueling tensions.

According to military officials, the allies are in talks over a possible deployment of a U.S. nuclear-powered aircraft to the Freedom Shield exercise and if agreed, the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier is likely to make a port call in South Korea.

Last September, the USS Ronald Reagan participated in a joint naval exercise.