US, South Korea and Japan conduct joint naval drills amid increasing North Korea threat

Asia-Pacific, News, US April 12, 2024 , by IRIA No Comments

U.S. and Japan joined South Korean naval forces for joint exercises in international waters near Jeju Island to improve interoperability and strengthen forces against increasing North Korean nuclear and missile threats.

According to the South Korean Navy statement, “The exercise was focused on bolstering the three nations’ joint response capabilities amid North Korea’s rising nuclear and missiles.”

The naval forces of the three countries conducted anti-submarine warfare training to improve capabilities to effectively counter North Korean submarines and submarine-launched ballistic missiles. It also involved maritime interdiction exercises to deter the “illicit transportation of weapons of mass destruction (WMD), and search and rescue training to practice procedures for rescuing distressed vessels,” the statement added.

The two-day joint naval exercises involved the U.S. nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71) and three Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers Howard, Russell, and Daniel Inouye.

The South Korean and Japanese naval forces deployed Aegis destroyers including Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force’s destroyer JDS Ariake (DD-183) and South Korea’s Aegis destroyer Seoae Ryu Sung-ryong.

South Korea’s Capt. Baek Jun-cheol of the Seoae Ryu Seong-ryong destroyer said in a statement, “This training provided a great opportunity to enhance the capabilities of the three participating countries to respond to North Korea’s evolving nuclear and WMD threats and to improve humanitarian assistance capabilities for distressed vessels.”

*^{Fighter jets sit on the U.S. aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson as it arrives at a port in Busan, South Korea on November 21, 2023. (Image Credit: Yonhap/via Reuters)}*

Commander of the USS Theodore Roosevelt, Rear Adm. Christopher Alexander highlighted that the exercise provided the allies an opportunity to enhance their capabilities and better prepare for any future crisis or contingency situation in the Korean Peninsula. “This is an opportunity for us to work with our allies in the region. It is an opportunity for us to improve our tactical proficiency,” he added.

North Korea has accelerated its nuclear program and weapons test. On April 2 North Korea launched a solid-fuel intermediate-range ballistic missile with a hypersonic warhead. Last month, North Korea also launched three short-range ballistic missiles, that traveled around 350 kilometers with a peak altitude of 50 kilometers, toward eastern waters.

North Korea has also intensified military exercises as North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has ordered his soldiers to complete preparations for war. Observers speculate that Kim does not intend to mass produce the weaponry for practical use but instead aims to leverage the enhanced weapons arsenal to secure concessions from the U.S., such as relief from international sanctions imposed on North Korea.

It is expected that North Korea will expand its testing endeavors and escalate its aggression rhetoric this year, particularly as the U.S. gears up for a presidential election in November.

US-South Korea aerial exercise

South Korea and the United States also conducted a joint aerial exercise on April 12 with more than 100 aircraft to strengthen readiness against North Korea. The drills involved U.S. and South Korea’s F-35 stealth fighter jets.

According to a joint release, U.S. Army and Marine Corps personnel together with South Korean forces are “integrating advanced fighter jet operations, enhancing precision strike capabilities, and training troops on combat search and rescue scenarios and mass paratrooper airdrops.”

^{U.S. Air Force F-35 Lightning IIs fly side by side with South Korean Air Force F-35s as part of a bilateral exercise over the Yellow Sea on July 12, 2022. (Image Credit: U.S. Air Force/Senior Airman Trevor Gordnier/via Reuters)}

Director of operations and plans at the U.S. 7th Air Force in South Korea, U.S. Col. Charles G. Cameron said, “Our ability to train together at this scope enhances interoperability and enables our forces to be ready for any potential situations.”