Asia-Pacific
U.S. and South Korean navies end counter-special operations exercise MCSOFEX off Pyeongtaek with a P-8A Poseidon
U.S. 7th Fleet says the U.S. Navy and ROK Navy finished a multi-day exercise in which a P-8A Poseidon worked with South Korean warships against simulated coastal infiltration.
The U.S. Navy and the Republic of Korea Navy have concluded a bilateral exercise built around countering small enemy special-forces and infiltration threats from the sea. According to U.S. 7th Fleet, the Maritime Counter-Special Operations Forces Exercise, or MCSOFEX, ended in the waters around Pyeongtaek, South Korea, on 23 October after several days of training.
The drills combined coastal counter-infiltration, coordination of air-to-surface targeting and tactical manoeuvring. A U.S. Navy P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft from Commander, Task Force 72 operated alongside ROK Navy surface combatants throughout.
What the crews practised
The combined force ran maritime domain awareness sweeps, rapid classification of contacts and simulated defensive strikes against simulated asymmetric threats along the coast. 7th Fleet adds that crews also carried out live-fire gunnery, formation sailing and synchronisation of tactical datalinks, with the aim of comparing practices and refining shared operating procedures.
The pairing of an aircraft that surveys the sea from the air with surface ships that can intercept is the core of the scenario. In 7th Fleet’s description, the P-8A provides the airborne surveillance and the ROK Navy ships act as the frontline force.
Official comment
Capt. Rodney Erler, commander of Task Force 72, said the successful completion of the exercise “underscores the unmatched interoperability and defensive capabilities of our alliance”. He said linking the P-8A’s surveillance with frontline surface ships shows the combined naval team is “ready, proficient, and postured to deter aggression and defend our mutual interests”.
Context
7th Fleet describes itself as the U.S. Navy’s largest forward-deployed numbered fleet, working routinely with allies and partners in the Indo-Pacific. The exercise follows other recent U.S.-Korean training, including the first Korea-based course of its kind that Geopolitiki reported in U.S. Marines and South Korean forces start first Korea-based Multi Domain Reconnaissance Course.
The release does not name the ROK Navy ships taking part, give the exact start date, or say whether the exercise is an annual event.