U.S. and Korea navies to conduct joint maritime counter special operations exercise
By Commander, U.S. 7th Fleet Public Affairs | | October 12, 2017
YOKOSUKA, Japan (NNS) – Vessels from the United States Navy and the Republic of Korea (ROK) Navy are scheduled to participate in the Maritime Counter Special Operations exercise (MCSOFEX) Oct. 17-20, in the waters east or west of the Korean Peninsula to promote communications, interoperability, and partnership in the 7th Fleet area of operations.
The exercise will provide a visible and coordinated engagement for the U.S. – ROK alliance. It will also conduct combined joint operations and exercises with ROK Navy, U.S. Seventh Fleet, ROK Air Force, U.S. Pacific Air Forces’ 7th Air Force and U.S. Eighth Army for the purpose of continuing the United States’ national policy and commitment to the U.S. – ROK alliance and the region.
U.S. Navy units participating in the exercise include USS Stethem (DDG 63), USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76), and USS Mustin (DDG 89).
The U.S. 7th Fleet conducts forward deployed naval operations in support of U.S. national interests in the Indo-Asia-Pacific area of operations. As the U.S. Navy’s largest numbered fleet, 7th Fleet interacts with 35 other maritime nations to build maritime partnerships that foster maritime security, promote stability and prevent conflict.
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Guam threat renewed:
U.S. Reckless Military Moves Compel DPRK to Take Action: Researcher of Institute for American Studies
Date: 13/10/2017 | Source: KCNA.kp (En)
Pyongyang, October 13 (KCNA) — Kim Kwang Hak, a researcher at the Institute for American Studies of the DPRK Foreign Ministry, released the following commentary titled “The U.S. reckless military moves compel the DPRK to take action” on Friday:
Recently the Trump group is making military bluffing against the DPRK, while introducing nuclear strategic equipment into areas around it one after another.
According to foreign reports, Trump met top military officers at White House on October 10 to have a confab over military counteraction against the DPRK. Meanwhile, the U.S. staged nocturnal flight exercises with Japan Air “Self-Defense Force” and the south Korean puppet airforce fighters after introducing two B-1B nuclear strategic bombers into the sky above the East Sea of Korea at night on the same day.
The Trump group is also inciting military pressure on the DPRK while introducing nuclear submarine Michigan into the Pusan Port of south Korea and planning to dispatch nuclear carrier Ronald Reagan into the waters around south Korea in mid-October to hold “high-intensity” joint exercises with the puppet forces.
What should not be overlooked is that such military moves have been conducted at a time when the Trump group posted on twitter such letters reading that the U.S. failed to handle north Korea for the past 25 years and only one thing will prove effective, while frequently hinting at “military option” backed by such rubbish as “a calm before a storm” and “total destruction”.
The Trump team is trying to provoke the DPRK through such reckless military provocations as dispatch of B-1B, nuclear submarine and nuclear carrier into the waters around the Korean peninsula. Such military acts compel the DPRK to take military counteraction.
Its senseless military provocations make us keenly realize once again that we were quite right when we decided to bolster the nuclear deterrence for self-defense in every way, and harden our conviction that we have to keep to this path forever.
We have already warned several times that we will take counteractions for self-defense including a salvo of missiles into waters near the U.S. territory of Guam, an advance base for invading the DPRK, where key U.S. bases are located, as the U.S. has resorted to military actions in sensitive regions, making the waters off the Korean peninsula and in the Pacific restless.
The U.S. military action hardens our determination that the U.S. should be tamed with fire and lets us take our hand closer to “trigger” for taking the toughest countermeasure.
In case any shocking case occurs on the Korean peninsula, the U.S. will be made to hold responsibility as it is pushing the situation on the peninsula to the point of explosion while going reckless, being carried away by ill-advised bravery.