Sea trials of Jeongjo the Great, the first next-generation Aegis destroyer built by HD Hyundai Heavy Industries and delivered to the Navy. Provided by HD Hyundai Heavy Industries

The Republic of Korea Navy Aegis destroyer ROKS Jeongjo the Great (8,200-ton class) departs on the 1st to take part in the U.S.-led Rim of the Pacific exercise (RIMPAC·Rimpac), the largest multinational maritime exercise in the world. At this RIMPAC, the South Korean military will for the first time carry out the duties of the Combined Force Maritime Component Commander. Observers assess that this will serve as an opportunity to strengthen naval capabilities ahead of the push to transition wartime operational control.

The Navy said that ROKS Jeongjo the Great will depart from Jeju Base today to participate in the RIMPAC exercise. The exercise will run in Hawaii, United States, from the 24th to the 31st of next month. Thirty-one countries, including South Korea, the United States, Japan, Canada, and Australia, will participate, with more than 40 multinational ships, about 140 aircraft, and 25,000 personnel taking part.

In this RIMPAC, in addition to ROKS Jeongjo the Great, the 3,000-ton-class submarine ROKS Dosan Ahn Chang-ho and the P-8A maritime patrol aircraft will participate for the first time. ROKS Dosan Ahn Chang-ho is scheduled to move to Hawaii to join the exercise after completing a combined cooperation drill with Canada together with the frigate ROKS Daejeon. The amphibious ship ROKS Cheonjabong will also join RIMPAC after completing the South Korea·Japan search-and-rescue exercise (SAREX) on the 7th. In addition, more than 700 Navy and Marine Corps personnel, AW-159 maritime operation helicopters, and six Korean Amphibious Assault Vehicles (KAAVs) will participate in RIMPAC.

At this year’s RIMPAC, the South Korean military will for the first time assume the role of Combined Force Maritime Component Commander (CFMCC). The ROK Navy is the fourth nation ever to take on this role, and the first in Asia.

There are assessments that the nature of this exercise is a measure to strengthen the South Korean military’s capabilities ahead of the transition of wartime operational control. The Navy also stated, “This exercise will be a good opportunity for our forces, which are pursuing the transition of wartime operational control, to further strengthen combined maritime operations planning capabilities.” Vice Admiral Kim In-ho, commander of the ROK Fleet, who will serve as the Combined Force Maritime Component Commander, said, “Being entrusted with the commander mission for the first time marks a leap from the position of a participating nation to that of a lead nation.”

Some also analyze that, because RIMPAC is a U.S.-led exercise, it likely reflects the strategy of the United States to expand the defense roles of allies into the Indo-Pacific region. Yu Ji-hoon, a research fellow at the Korea Institute for Defense Analyses, said in a phone call, “By assigning an overall command role to the ROK Navy in a U.S.-led combined exercise, the United States appears to be mindful of expanding allied roles in wider regions such as the Indo-Pacific,” adding, “This also aligns with the U.S. policy of strategic flexibility aimed at expanding the role of U.S. forces stationed overseas.”