Ministry of National Defense Republic of Korea

All three armed forces and the Marine Corps begin a patriotic training focused on destroying the enemy

Conducted along the front line of the ceasefire … starting with defensive training on the northwest islands
The largest ever joint fighting power takes part: 330,000 troops and 60 fleets for two weeks

Headquarters Marine Corps (HQMC) started the Northwest islands-defensive training on November 10 to 12, in which all three armed forces and the Marine Corps jointly participated.

Lieutenant General Lee Young-Joo, the commander of the Marine Corps, visited the training site on its first day, saying that the combat ability and will to fight were the best ever assembled in the northwest islands, so soldiers had to show their bravery by destroying the enemy, for which they had prepared and trained. He also emphasized the importance of operating the combined fighting power and said the enemy’s provoking intentions must be completely pulverized by aggressively utilizing that combined fighting power of which the Marine Corps is capable.

For this training, there were numerous resources input including 6,000 military troops from the battle staff of HQMC, northwest islands units and reinforcing units, organizational equipment such as AH-1 Cobra attack helicopter, K-9 self-propelled gun, tanks, etc., and the army cargo helicopter, UH-60 and CH-47, the Navy‘s landing ship, LST, the Air Force’s transport, C-130 and CN-235.

While the HQMC led the operations, headquarters of support operations and combined fighting forces carried out live maneuver training for military strength and equipment, preparing for enemy provocation by type, such as firing provocation and ambush occupation, around the northwest islands such as Baengnyeongdo and Yeonpyeongdo.

Along with this, there were crisis action department operations that consist of commanders and staff and a wide range of training opportunities to enhance the combined fighting power operational capabilities conducted by headquarters of support operations and units in the northwest islands. These included mastering command and combat procedures, reinforcement of the northwest islands and counteramphibious and counterairborne operations. The HQMC also mastered its treatment of massive war casualties and immediate maintenance for rapid improvement of our damage recovery ability, as well as conducting firefighting training in cooperation with relevant organizations.

Along with this training, 330,000 personnel, 23,000 items of mobility equipment, 60 fleets and many other aviation fighting powers will participate in the two-week patriotic training.

The Army’s 7th corps in particular performs the operations planning training, and between the 11th and 26th divisions, there is a mutual training. In addition, the headquarters of the 2nd Fleet and 5th Flotilla, all the air force groups and air defense artillery battery, air control units, northwest islands defense Marine command, and 1st Marine Division will improve their cohesion through the patriotic training.

For the U.S. fighting power, the UH-60 helicopter and AH-64 Apache, the NH-53 belonging to the U.S. 7th Mine Countermeasures Flotilla, and 60 soldiers are also going to participate to develop their combined operational capability.

At a regular briefing, defense ministry spokesman Kim Min-Seok said, “The patriotic training is to improve unity among all three armed forces and the Marine Corps, and it has been conducted yearly since 1996. This training, in particular, focuses on enhancing the connection between headquarters of operations and establishing the military preparedness posture against enemy provocation. It is conducted along the entire 155-mile front line at all military levels.”

By Chul-Hwan, Kim < droid001@dema.mil.kr >
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