Joint Military Exercises

[Anchor Lead]

At the ASEAN Defense Ministers Meeting held on October 21 in Singapore, the defense chiefs of South Korea and the United States have largely agreed to postpone an annual joint air force exercise. However, the South Korean military says it will hold additional discussions with the U.S. on joint drills to maintain combat readiness. It also stressed that South Korea's Air Force will continue its own drills even if the joint exercises with the U.S. are postponed.

[Pkg]

At the ASEAN Defense Ministers Meeting held on October 21 in Singapore, the defense chiefs of South Korea and the United States agreed to postpone the annual Air Force joint exercise Vigilant Ace originally slated for early December. South Korea's Defense Ministry said that it was the United States that offered to postpone the drill. The move is aimed at supporting the ongoing diplomatic efforts to achieve denuclearization in North Korea. An official from the Defense Ministry said that Defense Minister Chung Kyung-doo agreed with the U.S., yet he emphasized the importance of maintaining combat readiness. According to the official, Chung offered the U.S. an alternative to the regular format of the Vigilant Ace exercise. Sources say the defense minister stressed that the same effect can be achieved if the air forces of South Korea and the United States exercise remotely by exchanging data via the military command control system. The Defense Ministry official added that the militaries of South Korea and the U.S. will consider the proposal and come up with the final decision at the military committee meeting scheduled for late October. The official said that even if the joint drill is postponed, South Korea's Air Force will conduct the planned exercise on its own. Observers say that the South Korean military wants this in order to eliminate concerns over national security stemming from the postponement of the joint exercise. Launched in 2015, the Vigilante Ace exercise is aimed at beefing up combat capabilities. Last year, some 90 South Korean and 180 U.S. aircraft participated in the exercise.