The US and South Korea conducted joint naval exercises in the Sea of Japan to hone their skills in countering maritime security threats and ensuring safe navigation amid North Korean threats, according to Yonhap.
The annual exercises began on April 1 and lasted for nine days. It is known that in the waters near the coast of Pohang, 262 kilometres southeast of Seoul, US and South Korean military personnel practised mine countermeasures against North Korea. Nine military ships and four helicopters participated in the exercises.
The US dispatched an expeditionary sea base, USS Miguel Keith (ESB 5), for the first time, which was joined by two other naval ships and MH-53 helicopters.
The 240-meter Miguel Keith is designed to serve as a floating landing base for helicopters and to provide other support for military operations. South Korea mobilized six ships, including the Nampo MLS-II mine sweeper, as well as the P-3 maritime patrol helicopter and the UH-60 helicopter.
"The drill was designed to train the South Korean and American navies to practice procedures and tactics for clearing paths for safe navigation and strengthen their joint response capabilities against complicated mine warfare scenarios," the South Korean Navy said in a statement.
Military exercises of the USA and NATO
In the first half of 2024, NATO is conducting a series of exercises under the general code name Steadfast Defender-24. Poland will be one of the countries that will host and accommodate a significant number of troops and equipment from allies.
From March 4 to 15, large-scale military exercises of NATO countries called Nordic Response 24 took place in northern Finland, Sweden, and Norway. About 20,000 servicemen from 14 countries took part in them.
At the end of February, naval exercises of NATO countries called Dynamic Manta took place off the coast of Sicily. During the manoeuvres, a platform for testing and strengthening the Alliance's crisis response capabilities was worked out.
