The Navy held a ceremony to mark the establishment of a new fleet command aimed at better responding to North Korea’s military threats at sea, officials said. (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
SEOUL, Feb. 3 (Korea Bizwire) - The Navy held a ceremony on Monday to mark the establishment of a new fleet command aimed at better responding to North Korea’s military threats at sea, officials said.
On Saturday, the Navy officially launched the Republic of Korea Navy Task Fleet Command, calling it a “core unit of the maritime three-axis system against North Korea’s nuclear and missile threats.”
The ceremony took place at a key naval base on the southern island of Jeju, attended by some 400 guests, according to the officials.
“The Task Fleet Command is a central unit that strongly deters and responds to North Korea’s maritime provocations and preemptively prepares for potential threats that have not yet materialized,” Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Yang Yong-mo said.
The new command operates 10 destroyers and four auxiliary ships, including the 8,200-ton Jeongjo the Great destroyer equipped with radar-evading functions and the newest Aegis combat system, according to the Navy.
Ships built under South Korea’s next-generation destroyer project, referred to as KDDX, will also be assigned to the new command upon completion, it added.
The maritime three-axis system refers to the maritime version of the military’s three-pronged deterrence structure comprising the Kill Chain preemptive strike platform, the Korea Massive Punishment and Retaliation system and the Korea Air and Missile Defense.
(Yonhap)
