US, South Korean Navies Conduct Exercises With France, Turkey

The navies of the United States and South Korea have participated in trilateral exercises with French and Turkish counterparts to increase maritime interoperability, Republic of Korea Fleet Headquarters Cmdr. Jong-Sik Lee said in a joint statement with the US Navy on Wednesday.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — The exercises, conducted on May 23 with French frigate FS Aconit and May 25 with Turkish frigate TCG Gediz, took place in the international waters around the Korean peninsula.

They consisted of tactical maneuvering drills, non-maneuvering voice drills and signal communication training, according to the statement.

“France and Turkey are two of the 17 nations that have reaffirmed their national commitment as Sending States to the United Nations Command with a promise to return to Korea should the armistice agreement fail.”

On Tuesday, US Army Pacific Deputy Commander Major General James Pasquarette said US forces in South Korea were ready to “ fight tonight” to deal with any unpredictable threat from North Korea.

“Through trilateral training, the participating navies can improve operational proficiency and integration,” Cmdr. Jong-Sik Lee said in the statement.

The United States and South Korea continue to hold extensive regular joint military exercises every year, which North Korea has denounced as provocations.