Ministry of National Defense Republic of Korea

The strongest unit’s “decisive action” showing power to the enemy

Navy and Marine Corps developed the combined amphibious training, part of 2014 patriotic training
Reminiscent of actual warfare with massive combined fighting power from the air, sea and underwater
Successful “touchdown” on the enemy’s coast, cutting through wild waves
Operated fleets and 1,200 soldiers from the air, sea and underwater simultaneously
U.S. mine sweeping helicopter carried out training of landing and taking off on Dokdo Ham as well

　 # Flowing decisive action

 “Buzz ... clink!”

On November 17 at 11 p.m., 20km off the coast, Dokseok-ri, Pohang-si, Gyeongbuk. 2,600-ton class Landing Ship Tank (LST) Birobong Ham lowered a well-deck ramp of the stern over the surface of the water.

Around 10 members of the advanced operations team consisting of UDT/SEAL personnel jumped onto launching rubber boats and disappeared into the darkness.

After several minutes of splitting the waves and getting soaked in cold water, the team came alongside the target point and started its mission – coastal reconnaissance that detects and removes barriers located at the landing place, surf observation to collect and report the directions of the waves and tidal current, and striking mission, which obtains and eliminates the threatening target information.

Prior to this, the advance operations team of the special reconnaissance party, Marine Corps, penetrated into enemy territory and secured the point by team. They grasped enemy movements and intentions while covering and concealing themselves. They had pounded limited targets and completed the mission they led, landing of an amphibious helicopter and firing until they fulfilled the “decisive action”, the highlight of this amphibious operation.

At dawn on November 18, enemy defensive power was disrupted rapidly with our combined fighting forces’ fire support and fire from warships, creating the condition to land.

Landing forces that joined Dokdo Ham, LPH-6111, the commanding ship, finished making preparations for war and waited for an order.

Lieutenant Colonel Shin Sang-yong, the commander of the landing forces, said, “As the strongest soldiers bringing fear to the enemy, let’s complete the mission.” And the Marines responded to him with their determined look.

 “Sea charge, the first launch!”

At 6:40 a.m., the decisive action order that sent landing forces from the sea to the land was issued. 14,500-ton class Dokdo Ham opened its upper and lower gates, then a Landing Ship, Fast (LSF) equipped with the landing forces‘ equipment rushed out of the hangar. Two UH-60 amphibious helicopters also stormed upward from the deck.

At the same time, Korea Assault Amphibious Vehicles (KAAVs) spilled out of landing ship that reached the nearby enemy shore. The KAAVs rushed to the landing site, forming waves.

In addition, amphibious helicopters went through with an aerial charge to seize the enemy's deep and rear objective while they were backed up by Cobra, AH-1S, the attack helicopter.

The decisive action performed by combined fighting forces, including the Navy and the Marine Corps, was run smoothly. Our continuous supporting fire neutralized opposing forces in an instant, and KAAV and mobile helicopters arrived at the beach swiftly.

As landing forces secured beachhead through sea and aerial charges, follow-up forces tried to come alongside the point. The LSF, with its superior mobility, carried soldiers and equipment, coming and going between the landing ship and the coast. It came alongside the coast and landed self-propelled guns and tanks. These landing forces cut the enemy line of resistance and carried out passage of lines to enter the interior deep operations which linked to the land units.

# Improved Korean armed forces’ own landing operational capability

The Navy and the Marine Corps developed the patriotic combined landing training in the Dokseok-ri coast area, Pohang, Gyeongbuk, from November 15-20.

The training focused on improving the combined operational capability and massive aerial, sea and underwater forces were thrown into the training such as 20 vessels including Dokdo Ham, Aegis destroyers(DDG) and submarines(SS), 1,200 Marines, 20 KAAVs and 40 aircraft from all three armed forces. Moreover, the U.S. Navy’s MH-53, a mine-sweeping helicopter, carried out training of landing and taking off on Dokdo Ham to improve the combined operational capability.

The training consisted of landing force’s marine action that assumes a situation of enemy sea threats, advanced operations to remove threatening elements around the landing coast in advance and large-scale firing support using vessels and aircraft, and the whole operation was developed with no breathing space,

“Decisive action”, the main part of this landing operations started on November 18 in the morning. The Navy and the Marine Corps increased their cohesion through the actual-warfare-like training.

The Navy Chief of Staff, Hwang Ki-cheol, and Lieutenant General Lee Young-joo, the commander of the Marines, visited the Task Force Operation Center (TFOC) of Dokdo Ham to praise soldiers for their hard work and instruct the operations.

The Navy Chief of Staff said, “Our military’s core value is intensive training and through this, we can restrain enemy provocation as well as assure a complete victory. We, the Navy and the Marine Corps, are the center of national security, so we fulfill the training with a mindset that we protect the people’s lives and safety.”

Those two forces had operational meetings frequently before the training and went all out for improving combined operational capability and command & control ability.

Commanders and staff, including Colonel Park Yang-Sun, the commander of the amphibious task force, and Colonel Im Yo-Han, the commander of the landing forces, devoted themselves to improvement of unity, working day and night. Their hard work played a role that demonstrates the smooth and systematic combined fighting power.

Meanwhile, Dokdo Ham has once more proven its outstanding ability through this training. It performed its role as a mother ship that commands and controls landing operations as well as various marine operations. It can contain 12 helicopters, 20 tanks and trucks, and 800 landing troops at once. It is also capable of a one-month operation with cruising range of a round-trip to the Continental United States and a one-way to Hawaii.

Based on its capability, Dokdo Ham is able to support national policies such as disaster relief, evacuation of foreign nationals, PKOs, etc. The Navy plans to acquire a more upgraded vessel than Dokdo Ham after 2020.

“We have a training focus on possessing combined landing operational capability no matter how hard the situations and conditions are. The actual training will be nourishment to enhance the Korean military’s single landing operational capability as well as combined operational capability,” said Commander Park.

Pohang, By Byeong-No, Yun < trylover@dema.mil.kr >
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