South Korea and US Hold Large-Scale Amphibious Exercise; Drone Command Participates for First Time | WPN World People News

South Korea and the United States have commenced their annual amphibious landing joint military exercise, "Ssang Yong 24," from August 26 to September 7 in the eastern waters of South Korea. This exercise marks the first time that the combined command and control system established by the U.S. and South Korean Marine Corps will lead the training operations. Additionally, South Korea's newly established "Drone Operations Command," founded in September last year, will deploy drones for the first time in this exercise to enhance joint defense operational capabilities.

The South Korean Navy stated that the Ssang Yong exercise, conducted along the east coast and in the Pohang area of North Gyeongsang Province, is designed to counter potential threats of a North Korean invasion. The exercise involves more than 40 ships, including South Korea’s amphibious assault ships, "Dokdo" (LPH-6111) and "Marado" (LPH-6112), and the U.S. Navy’s amphibious assault ship "Boxer" (LHD 5). The exercise also includes over 40 aircraft, such as U.S. F-35B fighter jets, South Korean MUH-1 helicopters, and C-130 transport planes, along with the latest Amphibious Combat Vehicles (ACV) and over 40 South Korean KAAV amphibious assault vehicles, all participating in the amphibious landing operations.

This exercise will also see the first participation of South Korea’s Drone Operations Command, a joint combat unit formed by the South Korean Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps. The unit will play a reconnaissance role in the Ssang Yong exercise. Additionally, the British Royal Marines are participating for the second consecutive year. This year's exercise, the largest since 2018, involves a series of mission planning, logistics coordination, and projection operations simulating division-level amphibious landing operations to enhance interoperability between the two militaries and maintain regional peace and stability.