[Yang Nak-gyu's Defence photo] ROK-US Navy Amphibious Mobile Unit

Warships from both countries participating in the ROK-US joint amphibious landing exercise conducted escort operations for the landing maneuver unit off the coast of Pohang. In this exercise, the ROK and US navies checked the process of escorting the landing ships participating in the Ssangryong Exercise, a joint amphibious landing drill, by security escort forces as they moved to the operational area.

The released training photos show the ROK Navy's Dokdo-class LPH Dokdo and Marado, along with the US Navy's Wasp-class LHD USS Makin Island, moving to the operational area under the escort of security escort ships. The Wasp-class (41,000-ton) amphibious assault ship USS Makin Island can carry about 1,600 landing marines and over 2,800 personnel in total, and can deploy up to 20 vertical takeoff and landing stealth fighters F-35B, earning it the nickname of a 'small aircraft carrier.' The USS Makin Island recently entered our waters in line with the Ssangryong Exercise schedule.

The '2023 Ssangryong Exercise,' a joint amphibious landing drill aimed at strengthening the ROK-US alliance combat readiness and interoperability, began on the 20th of last month and will continue until the 3rd of next month around the Pohang area. The Ssangryong Exercise, which was conducted at the brigade level, had not been held since 2018 amid a dialogue atmosphere with North Korea until last year, but was revived after five years by expanding to the division level during the first half joint exercise 'Freedom Shield' (FS). This Ssangryong Exercise involves a division-level landing force of about 1,600 landing marines, around 30 ships including the Dokdo and USS Makin Island, about 70 aircraft including F-35 series fighters and Army AH-64 Apache attack helicopters, and about 50 landing assault armored vehicles (KAAVs).