This handout photo taken on April 11, 2024 and provided by the South Korean Defence Ministry shows the US Navy's USS Theodore Roosevelt aircraft carrier (C), South Korean Navy's destroyer ROKS Seoae Ryu Seong-ryong (bottom) and Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force destroyer JS Ariake (top) sailing in formation during a joint maritime drill in international waters south of the southern Jeju island. (Photo by Handout / South Korean Defence Ministry / AFP)
Seoul: South Korea, the United States, and Japan conducted joint maritime exercises involving a US aircraft carrier to enhance their ability to work together against North Korea's nuclear and missile threats.
A statement from the South Korean navy indicated that the trilateral maritime exercises took place in international waters south of Jeju Island on Thursday and Friday, with six warships from these countries participating.
The US Navy deployed the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt along with three guided-missile destroyers, joined by two Aegis destroyers from South Korea and Japan.
The South Korean navy said that the exercises focused on enhancing joint response capabilities among the three countries amid North Korea's growing nuclear weapons and missile threats.
These exercises are the latest in a series of joint drills organized after the United States and its Asian allies agreed to hold trilateral exercises to deter increasing security threats during the Camp David summit in August 2023.
The participating forces conducted anti-submarine warfare exercises to bolster their capabilities in confronting threats posed by North Korean submarines and ballistic missiles launched from submarines. Additionally, they practiced maritime interdiction exercises to prevent the illicit transfer of weapons of mass destruction and conducted search and rescue drills to practice shipwreck rescue procedures.
