Page 250 - 2020 Defence White Paper

2020, during operations in the expanded area, ROK’s Wang Geon destroyer (the 31st
contingent of the Cheonghae Unit) rescued 10 sailors from an Iranian vessel that had
been stranded for about a week. The rescued sailors were provided with sufficient
supplies including fuel and food. The Strait of Hormuz is a strategically important
area as more than 70 of the ROK’s crude oil imports pass through the area and
ROK vessels navigate the strait around 900 times a year. The Cheonghae while
carrying out its mission independently in the expanded operation area will conduct
joint operations with the International Maritime Security Construct (IMSC) when
65)
necessary to protect ROK nationals and vessels.
In this regard, two liaison officers from the Cheonghae Unit were dispatched to
the IMSC in February 2020 to conduct necessary cooperation activities including
information sharing.

Staff Officers and Coordination Officers The ROK Armed Forces has dis-
of Multinational Forces patched a total of 10 staff officers
and coordination officers to the
CMF in Bahrain, the Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa (CJTF-HOA) in
Djibouti, the Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve (CJTF-OIR)
66)
in Kuwait, and the United States Central Command and Africa Command. Their
major missions are performing staff duties for the CMF, establishing combined
operations plans, supporting the rotation and combat service of the ROK Armed
Forces overseas deployment units, and cooperating with local allied forces. The ROK
Armed Forces continues to stay active in participating in multinational forces’ peace
operations. In December 2019 in particular, two coordination off cers were dispatched
to the CJTF-OIR to carry out ISIS suppression operations.

3. Defense Exchanges and Cooperation Activities

65) Upon request from a given country, the ROK Armed Forces dispatches their forces
A consortium of countries
tasked with escorting the to areas where there is no risk of combat and servicemembers’ safety is assured to
Strait of Hormuz. Stationed
in Bahrain, its member conduct defense exchanges and cooperation activities in noncombatant f elds such as
states are the United
States, United Kingdom, education and training, humanitarian assistance, and disaster relief.
Australia, Saudi Arabia,
UAE, Albania, Bahrain, and In November 2013, the ROK Armed Forces deployed the Araw Contingent to
Lithuania
support recovery efforts in the Philippines, which suffered severe typhoon damage.
66)
CJTF-OIR carries out The Araw Contingent successfully completed its mission of assisting with the
operations to defeat ISIS in
Iraq and Syria recovery of damaged areas and withdrew in December 2014. In March 2014,

2020 Defense White Paper