South Korea and the United States started their biggest combined naval exercise involving a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier near the peninsula since 2017, a day after North Korea fired a short-range ballistic missile in its latest military provocation.
According to the Ministry of Defense and Navy, Monday, the allies will mobilize more than 20 vessels including the USS Ronald Reagan, a Nimitz-class supercarrier of the U.S. Navy, as well as key South Korean warships, such as the 7,600-ton Aegis destroyer Seoae Ryu Sung-ryong and the 4,400-ton Munmu the Great destroyer, for the four-day drills.
Other participating maritime assets include the nuclear-powered USS Annapolis submarine, USS Chancellorsville, a Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser, USS Barry, an Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer and USS Benfold, an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer.
Formidable air force and army weapons including F/A-18E Super Hornets, P-3 and P-8 maritime surveillance aircraft, AH-64E Apache helicopters and South Korea's most advanced fighter jets ― F-15K and KF-16 ― will also take part in the East Sea training exercise.
