[Yang Nak-gyu's Defence Club] Ssangryong Training Starts Today

This Year's Training Revived at Division-Level Scale After 5 Years

The South Korean and U.S. Marine Corps and Navy launched a large-scale joint amphibious landing exercise on the 20th. The Ssangryong Exercise, which had been conducted at the brigade level, was last held in 2018 amid a dialogue atmosphere with North Korea and was not held until last year. This time, it was revived after five years by expanding to the division level.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

According to the military, the joint amphibious landing exercise '2023 Ssangryong Exercise,' aimed at strengthening the combat readiness posture of the ROK-U.S. alliance and interoperability, will be conducted around Pohang, Gyeongbuk Province, until the 3rd of next month. It is a major field training exercise (FTX) of the ongoing ROK-U.S. joint exercise 'Freedom Shield' (FS).

The Ssangryong Exercise involves a division-level landing force, about 30 vessels including the large transport ship Dokdo (LPH, 14,500 tons), and the U.S. Wasp-class amphibious assault ship USS Makin Island (LHD-8, 42,000 tons). The amphibious assault ship USS Makin Island can carry about 1,600 landing marines and a total of about 2,800 personnel, and can also carry up to 20 stealth fighter jets F-35B, earning it the nickname 'small aircraft carrier.'

About 70 aircraft, including F-35 series fighters, Army AH-64 Apache attack helicopters, and Marine Corps Marineon amphibious mobility helicopters, as well as about 50 amphibious assault vehicles (KAAV), were also deployed in this exercise. For the first time, a British Marine Corps 'Commando' company of about 40 personnel also participated this year.

The exercise proceeds in the order of escort operations for the safe movement of the landing force to the target area, mine-clearing operations, reconnaissance and surveillance of the pre-landing target zone with the removal of threats by advance units, large-scale fire support for the landing target zone, and the 'decisive action' phase involving air and sea assaults and securing the objective.

In the 'decisive action' phase to be conducted at the end of this month, ROK-U.S. joint and combined forces will deploy on a large scale by sea and air to demonstrate the overwhelming power of the ROK-U.S. alliance and their capability to conduct joint amphibious operations.

Because the landing exercise involves offensive training to infiltrate large-scale forces such as the Marine Corps onto the coast to secure the target area, North Korea has reacted sensitively. North Korea, which has repeatedly launched ballistic missiles during recent joint exercises in protest, may use this exercise as a pretext for additional provocations.

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