Indo-Pacific Command Visited by President Yoon [Yang Nak-gyu's Defence Club]

RIMPAC Exercise Conducted on Visit Day... 29 Countries Participating This Year
Only South Korea and the US Deploy Submarines During Training Period

On the 10th, when President Yoon Suk-yeol visits the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command in Hawaii, the first naval exercise of the Rim of the Pacific Exercise (RIMPAC) will take place. President Yoon's visit is the third among all presidents and the first in 29 years. Previously, former President Chun Doo-hwan visited the Pacific Command, the predecessor of the Indo-Pacific Command, in 1981, and former President Kim Young-sam visited in 1995.

Seoae Ryu Seong-ryong ship performing PLANE GUARD duty during RIMPAC exercise

On that day, a military official stated, "The Aegis destroyer ROKS Yulgok Yi I (DDG, 7,600 tons) will be deployed with the carrier strike group, the Chungmugong Yi Sun-sin (DDH-II, 4,400 tons) with the expeditionary strike group, and the Sohn Won-il-class submarine ROKS Lee Beom-seok (SS-II, 1,800 tons) will participate in the theater-wide anti-submarine warfare training."

RIMPAC is the world's largest multinational naval exercise, with 29 countries participating this year. Among the countries dispatching submarine forces to this year's RIMPAC, South Korea is the only one besides the United States. Organized by the U.S. Third Fleet Command and held biennially, RIMPAC is based on cooperation among allied countries to deter war threats from hostile nations. This year, compared to two years ago, two NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) member countries (Italy and Belgium) have joined, which is seen as a countermeasure against the alliance of North Korea, China, and Russia. RIMPAC is scheduled to be held from the 26th of last month to the 2nd of next month, and since it is led by the U.S. military, the Indo-Pacific Command is in charge of the exercise headquarters.

Meanwhile, the Indo-Pacific region covers 52% of the Earth's surface and is under the jurisdiction of the Indo-Pacific Command. Its operational range extends from the Arctic to the Antarctic, and from Hollywood (the U.S. West Coast) to Bollywood (Western India). It is considered the largest and most militarily significant among the U.S. military's regional unified combatant commands. The Indo-Pacific Command began as the Pacific Ocean Areas command in 1942, was renamed the Pacific Command in 1947, and has been called the Indo-Pacific Command since 2018. Its headquarters is located in Hawaii.

All U.S. forces stationed in South Korea and Japan belong to the Indo-Pacific Command. The Indo-Pacific Command comprises subordinate commands including the Pacific Fleet, Marine Corps Pacific Command, and Army and Air Force Pacific Commands.

The Pacific Fleet under the command has 200 warships, including five aircraft carrier strike groups, 1,100 military aircraft, and 140,000 personnel. The Marine Corps Pacific Command consists of two expeditionary forces at the corps level with 86,000 personnel and 640 military aircraft. The Air Force Pacific Command has 46,000 personnel and staff and 420 military aircraft. The Army Pacific Command has 106,000 personnel and staff, 300 military aircraft, and five vessels stationed in Japan, South Korea, Alaska, and Hawaii. Additionally, 1,200 special operations forces are deployed in the region separately.

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