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| South Korea, the United States and Japan conduct a trilateral missile defense exercise in the international waters of the East Sea, Wednesday. Courtesy of Joint Chiefs of Staff. |
By Kang Seung-woo
Three warships from South Korea, Japan and the United States carried out a ballistic missile defense drill, Tuesday, in the waters east of Korea in an apparent show of force against a recent North Korean intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) test, according to Seoul's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS).
The Republic of Korea Navy's Aegis destroyer ROKS Sejong the Great held a drill with Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Barry and a Japanese Atago-class Aegis destroyer.
The trilateral exercise took place shortly after North Korea launched a Hwasong-15 ICBM last Saturday that is believed to be theoretically capable of hitting targets anywhere on the U.S. mainland.
It also fired two short-range ballistic missiles towards the East Sea, Monday, an act that seemed to simulate targeting South Korean and U.S. air bases in Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province, and Gunsan, North Jeolla Province, in consideration of their strike ranges of 390 kilometers and 340 kilometers, respectively.
The South Korean JCS said the latest drill focused on enhancing the interoperability of the three countries' collective forces.
"The drill was carried out, aimed at sharing ballistic missile target information and mastering detection, tracking and interception procedures," the JCS said in a media statement.
"Through the naval exercise, South Korea, the U.S. and Japan have strengthened security cooperation and the response system."
South Korea and the U.S. also held joint air drills, involving B-1B bombers and F-35A stealth jets, Sunday, in response to the ICBM launch the day before.
The trilateral missile defense exercise took place for the first time since Oct. 6, 2022, when ROKS Sejong the Great conducted a three-way naval exercise alongside Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Chancellorsville and Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Benfold, part of the USS Ronald Reagan Carrier Strike Group, and Japan's destroyers JS Chokai and JS Ashigara in response to North Korea's provocations.
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