[Yang Nak-gyu's Defence photo] The Largest Ever South Korea-US-Japan Maritime Exercise

US Aircraft Carrier Calvinson Also Participates

The navies of South Korea, the United States, and Japan are conducting the largest-ever maritime exercise. Since establishing the trilateral training plan last December, this is the first time that a U.S. nuclear-powered aircraft carrier is participating in the exercise.

According to the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the South Korean and U.S. navies and the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force are conducting the trilateral maritime exercise from the 15th to the 17th in international waters south of Jeju. The South Korean Navy deployed two Sejong the Great-class Aegis destroyers, while the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force deployed two Aegis destroyers, including the Kong?.

The U.S. Nimitz-class nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN) was also mobilized. The Carl Vinson, part of the U.S. Navy's Carrier Strike Group 1, previously entered Busan Naval Base a day before North Korea's third military reconnaissance satellite launch was announced in November last year. It has returned to the Korean Peninsula after two months. This is interpreted as a move to strengthen the combined defense posture of South Korea and the U.S. in response to North Korea's nuclear missile threats. The Carl Vinson measures 333 meters in length and 76.4 meters in width. It is known to carry Super Hornet fighter jets (F/A-18), Hawkeye early warning aircraft (E-2C), and anti-submarine aircraft (S-3A). The Carl Vinson Carrier Strike Group is composed of cruisers such as the USS Princeton and destroyers including the USS Hopper and USS Kidd.