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| F-35A fighters from the South Korean and U.S. air forces conduct a joint exercise over South Korea between July 11 and 14, 2022. Courtesy of Ministry of National Defense |
By Kang Seung-woo
The South Korean and U.S. air forces kicked off a five-day combined air exercise, Monday, amid growing concerns of North Korea conducting its seventh nuclear test soon.
According to the South Korean military, Vigilant Storm, which will run through Friday, is aimed at enhancing the operational and tactical capabilities of combined air operations and bolstering the allies' combined defense posture. The exercise involves around 240 aircraft and thousands of service members from the U.S. Marine Corps, U.S. Navy and U.S. Army as well as the two nations' air forces.
Alongside the armed forces of South Korea and the United States, the Australian Air Force also decided to participate in the exercise by deploying a KC-30A air refueler.
The annual aerial exercise ― formerly known as Vigilant Ace ― comes as expectations are running high that North Korea will detonate another nuclear device before the U.S. midterm elections, Nov. 8, based on its past track record of causing trouble around U.S. election time.
In addition, the two countries are scheduled to hold the Security Consultative Meeting in Washington, D.C., Thursday (local time), and are expected to discuss joint deterrence against the evolving threats from North Korea.
During the combined exercise, the South Korean and U.S. air forces are set to work together to perform major air missions, such as close air support, defensive counter air and emergency air operations 24 hours a day. Support forces on the ground will also train their base defense procedures and survivability in case of attacks.
The two sides plan to perform approximately 1,600 sorties ― the largest number ever for this annual event ― and the Korean Air Operations Center plans to operate and control the combined forces in real time and hone their wartime capabilities, according to the U.S. Seventh Air Force.
The exercise carries extra significance, as it will feature the U.S. Marine Corps' F-35Bs that are coming from Iwakuni, Japan, for the first time in nearly five years for such a training event. The F-35B is a short take-off and vertical landing variant of the F-35A stealth fighter.
Alongside the F-35Bs, the South Korean Air Force's F-35As and both air forces' fourth-generation fighter jets will participate in Vigilant Storm.
"Through this training event, the ROK and U.S. air forces will improve interoperability between the fifth-generation and fourth-generation jets. Both ROKAF and USAF will fly fourth-generation jets, and will train with ROKAF F-35As and the USMC's F-35Bs, giving airmen and marines the cross-service, combined experience that is crucial to combat readiness," the U.S. Seventh Air Force said in a statement.
Given that the combined exercise is a show of force against North Korea's possible nuclear test, the Kim Jong-un regime may respond to it with another military provocation.
Last week, Arirang Meari, a North Korean mouthpiece, criticized the combined exercise, claiming that the current tensions on the peninsula are due to a combination of the U.S. hostile policy toward North Korea and the Yoon Suk-yeol administration's maneuvers to confront Pyongyang.
North Korea has been critical of any combined exercises between Seoul and Washington, calling them a rehearsal for invasion.
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