by Kris Osborn, President, Center for Military Modernization
The US Navy conducted tri-lateral training and war preparations with Japan and South Korea in the East China Sea as part of a collective effort to demonstrate a solid deterrence posture in the region, a series of maneuvers which appear to have generated new nuclear threats from North Korea.
Following a port visit to South Korea, the USS Ronald Reagan Carrier Strike Group joined warships from Korea and the Japanese Maritime Self Defense force for wargaming training and operations.
“The US Navy’s Ronald Reagan carrier strike group joined the Republic of Korea Navy’s Sejong the Great-class destroyer ROKS Yulgok Yi I (DDG 992) and the first-in-class fast-combat support ship ROKS Cheonji (AOE 57), as well as Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force helicopter destroyer JS Hyuga (DDH 181),” a US Navy essay said.
US Navy, Japan, South Korea Fleets Unite
Neither Japan or Korea have aircraft carriers or large fleets of warships, yet their regional presence and interest in deterring China continues to offer windows of opportunity for collaboration with a forward-operating US Navy.
The Trilateral exercises in the East China Sea followed a critical strategy meeting between US Navy 7th Fleet Commander Vice Adm. Karl Thomas, Republic of Korea Fleet Commander, Vice Adm. Kim Myung-soo and Vice Adm. Saito Akira, Commander,Japan Maritime Self-Defense Forces
“The U.S. Navy and our carrier strike groups have a long and productive history with our Korean allies, and our port visit here is the latest opportunity to strengthen the relationships between our people and navies,” Rear Adm. Pat Hannifin, Commander, Carrier Strike Group, said in a Navy report.. “Since the establishment of our Mutual Defense Treaty in October of 1953, the alliance between the U.S. and Republic of Korea has become the linchpin of peace and security in the region.
Kris Osborn is the President of Warrior Maven – Center for Military Modernization and the Osborn previously served at the Pentagon as a Highly Qualified Expert with the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army—Acquisition, Logistics & Technology. Osborn has also worked as an anchor and on-air military specialist at national TV networks. He has appeared as a guest military expert on Fox News, MSNBC, The Military Channel, and The History Channel. He also has a Masters Degree in Comparative Literature from Columbia University.
