Performing Missions in Necessary Maritime Areas Without a Fixed Jurisdiction
Composed of 14 Vessels Including Aegis Destroyers
The Navy announced on the 3rd that it held the inauguration ceremony of the Mobile Fleet Command (Mobile Fleet) at the Navy Jeju Base, presided over by Navy Chief of Staff Yang Yong-mo.
The event was attended by over 400 people, including special guests such as Oh Young-hoon, Governor of Jeju Province; Yang Seung-yeol, Head of the Gangjeong Community Project Promotion Group; Yoo Sam-nam, the 21st Navy Chief of Staff; Lee Beom-rim, the inaugural 7th Mobile Brigade Commander; as well as Mobile Fleet soldiers and civilian employees.
The Mobile Fleet, formed from the Navy's 7th Mobile Brigade, was established on the 1st in accordance with the 2025 Ministry of National Defense annual unit plan. It is organized with three mobile squadrons (71st, 72nd, and 73rd Squadrons), one mobile logistics squadron, and one base squadron, and consists of 10 destroyers including the Navy’s latest Aegis destroyer Jeongjo Daewang (DDG, 8,200 tons) and four logistics support ships such as Soyang (AOE-II, 10,000 tons).
The Mobile Fleet does not designate a specific area of jurisdiction but can carry out assigned missions in necessary maritime areas according to its tasks and roles. Compared to the existing 7th Mobile Brigade, the military explained that it can flexibly and proactively command the Navy’s core forces in both wartime and peacetime.
The Mobile Fleet will play a key role in the maritime-based “Korean 3-Axis System” operations, tasked with deterring North Korea’s nuclear and missile threats. As a mobile unit, it has enhanced capabilities to conduct operations in surrounding waters to protect maritime security of the Korean Peninsula, as well as to deploy to the Cheonghae Unit and protect overseas nationals, strengthening its ability to conduct blue-water operations.
Furthermore, by strengthening national policy support capabilities such as protecting maritime traffic routes, a foundation has been established to actively contribute to international maritime security.
The inaugural Mobile Fleet Commander is Navy Major General Kim In-ho. Commander Kim was commissioned in 1994 as part of the 48th class of the Naval Academy and has held key sea and land positions including Captain of the Yulgok Yi I, Commander of the Special Warfare Brigade, Commander of the 7th Mobile Brigade, and Chief of Personnel at the Navy Headquarters.
Commander Kim stated, “The Mobile Fleet will serve as a core mobile unit protecting the sovereignty and maritime rights of the Republic of Korea anytime and anywhere the people need it,” adding, “In times of emergency, we will guarantee victory with overwhelming force.”
Chief of Staff Yang also emphasized in his congratulatory speech, “The Mobile Fleet Command is the central unit that strongly deters and responds to North Korean provocations at sea and proactively prepares for emerging potential threats,” and stressed, “The mission of the Mobile Fleet is to accomplish the tasks assigned by the nation regardless of time and place.”
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