US - Japan - South Korea hold first joint military exercise, firing live ammunition
(Baonghean.vn) - On May 23, the US Navy announced that the US, Japan, South Korea and Australia have begun their first joint naval exercise near Guam, amid rising tensions with China and North Korea.
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| The US, Japan and South Korea held their first joint naval exercise. Photo: Getty |
The US 7th Fleet's announcement stated that the exercise, called "Pacific Vanguard", brought together more than 3,000 sailors from the four countries, aiming to "sharpen skills and enhance substantive cooperation at sea".
The exercise will focus on "live-fire exercises, air defense operations, anti-submarine warfare and maritime logistics," the announcement said.
Australia is sending two frigates to participate in the exercise, Japan is sending two destroyers and South Korea is sending one destroyer. On the US side, the 7th Fleet's flagship USS Blue Ridge will lead the operation.
Amid rising trade tensions between Washington and Beijing, China earlier this week criticized the US for sending warships near disputed islands in the South China Sea.
Guam was at the center of nuclear tensions between Washington and Pyongyang in 2017, with North Korea threatening to launch missiles with the range to reach the US mainland./.
