Seoul:Two Marine Corps commands are engaging in joint regular drills this week to verify key capabilities to defend the western islands along the inter-Korean border, According to Marine Corps on Thursday.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the Marine Corps Command and the Northwest Islands Defense Command commenced the exercise on Monday for a five-day duration, training along the western border islands of Baeknyeong, Yeonpyeong, and adjacent areas.
The annual exercise, involving approximately 6,000 troops and key assets, is aimed at verifying integrated response capabilities and maintaining a robust defense posture across the northwestern islands bordering North Korea. The exercise is part of the Hoguk annual exercise conducted by the South Korean military, with partial participation by U.S. forces.
The drills are designed to counter complex enemy provocations involving artillery fire, high-speed aircraft, cruise missiles, and suicide drones. This year's maneuvers feature both field training exercises and command post exercises to reflect evolving modern warfare tactics and lessons learned from recent global conflicts.
As part of the Hoguk drills, the Air Force conducted interception drills earlier this week to train joint air defense procedures against salvo attack threats involving an enemy's manned and unmanned aircraft, cruise missiles, and ballistic missiles. The exercise simulated a scenario with large clusters of unidentified radar tracks approaching South Korean airspace, where the Air Force practiced scrambling fighter jets and using surface-to-air missile systems, including Cheongung interceptors.
The exercise involved around 40 aircraft, including the F-15K and KF-16 fighter jets and the KA-1 light attack aircraft. Ground and naval assets also participated in the operations, incorporating Army air defense missile systems, along with Navy destroyers and frigates.