US and North Korea Deploy Two Aircraft Carriers to Intercept ICBMs

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter] The United States is conducting a large-scale virtual exercise for detecting and intercepting intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs). This exercise, called 'Valiant Shield 22,' involves two nuclear-powered aircraft carriers and one amphibious assault ship.

According to the U.S. Pacific Fleet Command on the 8th, the 9th Valiant Shield Field Training Exercise (FTX) is being conducted from the 6th to the 17th of this month in the waters around Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, Palau, and the Mariana Islands in the Pacific. Participants include the Ronald Reagan (CVN-76) and Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) carrier strike groups, the amphibious assault ship Tripoli (LHA-7), the 94th Army Air and Missile Defense Command (AAMDC), the 1st and 3rd Marine Expeditionary Forces (MEF), and the 36th Wing. A total of 15 ships and over 200 aircraft were deployed, along with approximately 13,000 personnel from the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, and Space Force.

The inclusion of Space Force personnel appears to be aimed at verifying multi-domain integrated operational capabilities, including missile detection and interception in the space domain, for U.S. ballistic missile defense (BMD) operations in the Asia-Pacific region.

The 94th Army Air and Missile Defense Command (AAMDC), which oversees ballistic missile defense operations, is also participating. This unit currently controls the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) systems deployed in Seongju, Gyeongbuk, South Korea, as well as the THAAD systems of U.S. forces in Japan.

The United States aims to establish a missile defense system in the Pacific region that combines an upper-tier defense system centered on THAAD and Aegis ballistic missile defense with a lower-tier defense system focused on the new Patriot PAC-3 MSE missile as the ultimate goal of missile defense.

The Valiant Shield exercise is a biennial FTX focused on fostering jointness among multiple military branches in multi-domain combat scenarios, and this year marks its ninth iteration. Although it has generally been interpreted as a drill targeting China, experts suggest that the participation of BMD operational units indicates a strong aspect of responding to the North Korean threat as well.

The U.S. Pacific Fleet emphasized, "It helps develop the U.S. military's regional and global power projection capabilities," and added, "Joint exercises provide all options to protect U.S. national interests and the interests of allies worldwide."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.