US, ROK Navy leaders meet for anti submarine warfare talks

U.S. and Republic of Korea (ROK) Navy leaders met in Busan to discuss ways in which both navies can improve ASW capabilities.

The two-day ASW working group taking place between December 1-2. is co-hosted by Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Korea (CNFK) and ROK Fleet.

This is the fifth meeting focused solely on ASW since the cooperation charter was signed in 2014.

“Submarine warfare is a known threat not just to the ROK but to the region,” said Rear Adm. Kim, Jong-Il, the deputy commander of ROK Fleet. “This working group is important because the U.S. and ROK navies must continue to work together in strengthening our ASW capabilities.”

The working group, consisting of 17 U.S. and ROK commands, evaluated the effectiveness of the current agreement, and further synchronized all ASW improvement efforts to include training, exercises, and assessments.

“Anti-submarine warfare is complex,” Rear Adm. Brad Cooper, commander of CNFK and working group co-chair, said to the group during his opening remarks, “and to be successful, the complexity demands our attention and full buy-in. The threat of submarine warfare is real so that is why I am excited to see such a large group participate in this year’s discussion.”

Cooper concluded his remarks by thanking the more than 60 U.S. and ROK personnel in attendance for their dedication to developing training scenarios to enhance combined capabilities across all ASW domains from the subsurface, surface, and air.

“What you are doing here, from the discussions today to the table top exercise tomorrow, is important,” said Cooper. “The effort and attention we put into this working group will benefit the security of the region so your attendance here matters.”