Ministry of National Defense Republic of Korea

The Ministry of National Defense announced that the US-Republic of Korea intentions in taking action against North Korea's ballistic missile provocation will be shown through the joint Republic of Korea-US Air Force exercise, "Vigilant ACE (Air Component Exercise)," starting from December 4. 

During the report on the pending issues at the plenary meeting of the National Assembly Defense Committee, the Chief of the National Defense Policy Office Yeo, Seok-joo said that US stealth aircrafts, such as the F-22 and F-35A, would join the Vigilant ACE, and exercises such as X-Interdiction (X-INT), which strikes a moving target like an enemy transporter erector launcher (TEL), X-Attack (X-ATK), which strikes long-range enemy artillery, and Sea Combat Patrol (SCP), which interdicts special forces for maritime infiltration, would be performed during this Vigilant ACE. He also explained that the regular-level rotational deployment of US strategic assets up until the end of the Pyeongchang Olympics is under discussion. 

Emphasizing that the joint precise Army-Navy-Air Force strike exercise against North Korea's ballistic missile provocation at dawn on November 29 was conducted only six minutes after the provocation, he further explained that “as the basic exercise of the offensive operation execution concept, the precise strike exercise showed that the Kill Chain strategy enables the main targets to be overpowered simultaneously within the least amount of time.” 

At the plenary meeting on that day, the Minister of National Defense Song, Young-moo denounced “North Korea's repeated test launch of its ballistic missiles (as) a critical provocative action threatening not only the Korean Peninsula but also international peace and stability," and said the, “Republic of Korean military displayed their power and intention of punishing North Korea by conducting joint precise Army-Navy-Air Force strike exercises over the East Sea in consideration of the distance to the starting point of the enemy's provocation.” 

Furthermore, Minister Song announced that there was no suggestion of a naval blockade, though he conceded a willingness to cooperate the implementation of "action to strengthen inspections of vessels carrying embargoed goods on the high seas", as specified in UN Security Council Resolution 2375.

By Chul-Hwan, Kim < droid001@dema.mil.kr >

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