Large-scale Joint Amphibious Landing Exercise After 4 Years

6,000 Navy and Marine Corps Personnel Deployed... Unusual Media Disclosure

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter] A large-scale joint amphibious landing exercise was held for the first time in four years. This exercise, part of the '2022 Hokuk Training,' was conducted amid heightened tensions on the Korean Peninsula due to North Korea's successive provocations and the possibility of a 7th nuclear test, drawing attention to North Korea's response.

According to the Marine Corps on the 26th, this exercise involved approximately 6,000 personnel from the Navy and Marine Corps, about 40 Landing Assault Armored Vehicles (KAAV), more than 10 vessels including the Dokdo-class amphibious assault ship (LPH), Ilchulbong-class landing ship tank (LST-II), and air-cushion landing craft (LSF-II), as well as around 50 aircraft including transport planes (C-130), amphibious assault helicopters (MUH-1), and transport helicopters (CH-47, UH-60).

In particular, to prepare for complex scenarios assuming various enemy threats, units from the Air Force Operations Command, Special Warfare Command, Army Aviation Command, Military Transport Command, Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Defense Command, Psychological Warfare Group, and Cyber Operations Command participated in the exercise.

The Marine Corps explained that by utilizing joint forces such as armored vehicles, helicopters, and amphibious ships to assault the coast and secure the target area, they verified the Republic of Korea Armed Forces' capability to conduct independent joint amphibious operations.

The joint amphibious landing exercise, conducted annually as part of the Hokuk Training, has previously been partially exposed to the media, but the military had not officially announced or publicly disclosed it. This was to avoid provoking North Korea, which opposes the aggressive nature of the exercise involving landing on enemy territory and securing target areas.

However, this year, considering North Korea's successive ballistic missile provocations, threatening flights near no-fly zones, and shelling in maritime buffer zones violating the September 19 military agreement, the exercise footage was disclosed.

Colonel Kim Tae-won of the Marine Corps, who served as the commander of the landing ground combat unit in this exercise, said, "We are establishing a plan for the Republic of Korea Armed Forces' independent joint amphibious operation, intensively mastering joint force operation procedures, and conducting realistic and rigorous training. Through this exercise, we will be equipped with the ability to respond immediately anytime, anywhere, and under any circumstances when assigned a mission."

Earlier, since the start of the Hokuk Training on the 17th of this month, the Marine Corps has been preparing for the landing assault and familiarizing with execution procedures by initiating joint operations with the Army, Navy, and Air Force and conducting 'environment shaping operations.'

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