[Exclusive] US Aircraft Carrier Roosevelt to Return Next Week [Yang Nak-gyu's Defence Club]

First South Korea-US-Japan Joint Exercise on the Korean Peninsula in Two Months

The US nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71, 100,000-ton class) will enter Busan Port next week. This comes two months after the trilateral joint maritime exercise conducted by South Korea, the US, and Japan in April.

In April, South Korea, the United States, and Japan conducted naval exercises in international waters south of Jeju to enhance their joint response capabilities against North Korea's nuclear and missile threats. From the bottom, the South Korean Navy's Aegis destroyer Ryu Seong-ryong, the U.S. Navy aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt, the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force destroyer Ariake, and the U.S. Navy Aegis destroyer Daniel Inouye. (Photo by the Navy) [Image source=Yonhap News]

On the 14th, a government official stated, "When the Roosevelt enters Busan Port, the three countries?South Korea, the US, and Japan?plan to conduct a joint exercise in the waters surrounding the Korean Peninsula at the end of this month."

The multi-domain trilateral exercise named "Freedom Edge" is scheduled to be conducted experimentally in international waters near the Korean Peninsula alongside the existing North Korean missile defense drills. This exercise will cover various domains including maritime, underwater, air, and cyber, aiming to develop the training concept through the involvement of the US aircraft carrier. The "Freedom Edge" exercise was agreed upon by the defense ministers of South Korea, the US, and Japan during the Shangri-La Dialogue on June 2, with plans to start this summer.

This will be the first trilateral joint exercise involving a US aircraft carrier in two months. In April 11-12, the three countries conducted anti-submarine warfare exercises in international waters south of Jeju Island with the Roosevelt participating. This was part of implementing the multi-year trilateral training plan jointly established by the defense authorities of South Korea, the US, and Japan under the "Camp David Agreement" last August. Six ships participated in the maritime exercise, including South Korea’s Aegis destroyer Ryu Seong-ryong and Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force destroyer Ariake.

The Roosevelt is over 300 meters long. Its flight deck area is three times the size of a soccer field. It has a crew of about 5,500. Known as a "floating military base," this carrier carries about 80 aircraft including US Navy fighter jets FA-18 (Super Hornet), airborne early warning aircraft, and helicopters. It is also equipped with electronic warfare aircraft such as the E/A-18G, capable of disabling enemy radar bases and communication equipment.

North Korea is expected to react strongly. In April, Kim Yo-jong, deputy director of the Workers' Party, and the director of the Foreign Ministry’s External Communications Bureau issued statements harshly condemning the South Korea-US joint exercises. They directly mentioned the US nuclear-powered aircraft carriers USS Carl Vinson and USS Theodore Roosevelt, as well as the strategic bomber B-52H.

In a statement released to the Korean Central News Agency at the time, Kim Yo-jong claimed, "Since the beginning of this year, the US and its puppets have conducted over 80 military exercises together, and the South Korean puppets have carried out more than 60 solo drills," adding, "It is clear who the main culprits behind the deterioration of regional security are."