Ministry of National Defense Republic of Korea

ROK Navy Task Fleet Command is launched to respond to various security threats

- The Task Fleet Command was created 36 years after the need for it was first raised in 1989.

- The command is tasked with performing the mission of a mobile fleet as a core force in maritime-based ROK 3K Defense, aimed at responding to North Korea’s nuclear and missile threats.

◦ The Task Fleet Command was inaugurated on February 1, 2025 as a core unit in the ROK 3K Defense to respond to North Korea’s nuclear and missile threats and to protect maritime transportation routes, a lifeline of the nation.

■ The command consists of three task flotillas with destroyers operating the Aegis Combat System, one mobile logistics squadron, and one base squadron.

◦ The Task Fleet Command will be led by a major general and will consist of three task flotillas, the ROKS Sejong the Great class destroyer (KDX-III) (7,600 tons), ROKS Jeongjo the Great class destroyer (KDDX)) (8,200 tons) with an Aegis Combat System, and the Chungmugong Yi Sun-shin class (KDX-II) destroyer (4,400 tons). Additionally, it will have one mobile logistics squadron with AOE fast combat support ships, including the ROKS Soyang (AOE-51), and one base squadron responsible for land base protection and support. When the Korean Next-Generation Destroyer (KDDX), equipped with a multi-function phased array radar and combat systems, is completed, it will be assigned to the Task Fleet Command.

◦ Compared with the scale of the ROKN Maritime Task Flotilla Seven launched in 2010, the new Task Fleet Command has added one task flotilla and one mobile logistics squadron, doubling the number of main ships from seven to 14. In particular, the task fleet, with its superior maneuverability and operational capabilities, is capable of early detection of maritime, undersea and aerial targets from a distance. It can strike these targets with long-range anti-ship, anti-air, anti-submarine, and land-attack weapons, which represent its robust combat capability.

■ The command aims to respond to North Korea’s nuclear and missile threats and protect maritime right by safeguarding transportation routes at sea.

◦ The task fleet is a mobile fleet that performs its assigned missions at sea wherever needed, unlike the coastal fleets (First Fleet, Second Fleet, Third Fleet), which protect the East, West and South seas.

◦ The key responsibilities of the Task Fleet Command are as follows:

(i) act as a core force in the maritime ROK 3K system to deter North Korea’s nuclear and missile threats; (ii) protect Korea’s maritime rights with mobile unit operations for the surveillance of and response to threats in the seas surrounding the Korean Peninsula; (iii) safeguard maritime transportation routes, as a lifeline of Korea, and dispatch forces such as the Cheonghae Unit overseas; (iv) maintain maritime superiority by being deployed into mission areas, such as the NLL, with overwhelming force in case of war; (v) perform anti-ballistic missile operation with the early detection and interception of missiles, including North Korea’s ballistic missiles; and (vi) fulfil major missions such as precision striking of core targets based on long-range striking capability.