South Korea Launches Weeklong Amphibious Landing Exercise in Pohang with 3,200 Troops

SEOUL, April 27 (Yonhap) -- The Navy and Marine Corps launched a weeklong regular amphibious landing exercise in a southeastern coastal city last week, the armed services said Monday, in efforts to maintain combat readiness against diversifying threats in future warfare. Some 3,200 troops were deployed for the drills set to run through Thursday in coastal areas in Pohang, about 270 kilometers southeast of Seoul, according to the Navy and the Marine Corps. On Monday, the troops held the "decisive action" phase of the exercise, which proceeded with amphibious assault drills in a coastal area with landing ships, transport aircraft and helicopters as naval warships and attack helicopters provided cover. An array of military assets was deployed for the drills, ranging from the KF-16 fighter jet and the P-8A maritime surveillance aircraft to some 20 naval vessels, including the ROKS Marado amphibious assault ship. To factor in changes in modern warfare, this year's exercise incorporated various manned and unmanned assets, including drones, and surveillance assets for coastal surveillance and ground operations, the armed services said. For the first time, a New Zealand army platoon was assigned to a landing unit to train alongside South Korean Marine troops. A team from the U.S. 7th Fleet also joined Marine warfare drills conducted as part of the amphibious landing drills.