Trilateral Naval Exercises with USS Carl Vinson Involve South Korea, US, and Japan

Synopsis

On March 20, South Korea, the US, and Japan carried out joint naval drills featuring the USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier to enhance their deterrence against North Korea's CBR threats. This marks the first such exercise of the year, focusing on improving security cooperation amid evolving regional threats.

Key Takeaways

Joint naval exercises conducted by South Korea, the US, and Japan.
USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier played a central role in the drills.
Focus on countering North Korea's CBR threats.
Increased trilateral security cooperation through joint training.
Regular drills part of a long-term strategic plan.

Seoul, March 20 (NationPress) South Korea, the United States, and Japan have executed collaborative naval exercises featuring the USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier, as reported by Seoul's defense ministry on Thursday. This initiative aims to enhance deterrence and counter the chemical, biological, and radiological (CBR) threats posed by North Korea.

The trilateral naval drills, marking the first such operation of this year and the first since US President Donald Trump took office again in January, were conducted in international waters south of the southern resort island of Jeju from Monday through Thursday, according to the ministry.

Alongside the USS Carl Vinson, this recent exercise featured six additional warships from the three nations, which included the South Korean Navy's ROKS Sejong the Great destroyer and the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force's JS Ikazuchi destroyer, as reported by Yonhap news agency.

"The exercise emphasized strengthening trilateral collaboration for South Korea, the US, and Japan's capabilities in deterrence and response to North Korea's nuclear, missile, and underwater threats, and...enhancing their maritime security capacity," stated the ministry in a release.

This exercise was part of the routine drills conducted under a multi-year training program jointly established by the three nations, as added by the ministry.

As per the ministry, the annual Liberty Focus exercise came to a close on Thursday after a four-day duration.

Both sides engaged in scenario-based tabletop and field training exercises while also holding follow-up discussions regarding combined CBR operations and cooperation, it noted.

The latest training was held concurrently with the allies' springtime Freedom Shield exercise, which concluded on Thursday after an 11-day period.

The three nations last executed joint maritime drills during the second phase of their trilateral multidomain Freedom Edge exercise, which took place in November of the previous year.

Recently, the three countries have increased their security collaboration through collective drills in response to North Korea's advancing nuclear and missile threats.