The U.S. Navy announced on Tuesday that it will participate in the multinational joint exercise Sea Dragon, which is currently taking place in waters near Guam and will run through March 14.
Sea Dragon, an annual exercise that began in 2014 under the command of the U.S. 7th Fleet, aims to strengthen maritime patrol aircraft’s combined air anti-submarine warfare (ASW) capabilities. The South Korean Navy has participated in the exercise since 2020.
This year, the exercise involves five countries: South Korea, the United States, Japan, Australia, and India. As in previous years, South Korea is deploying one P-3 maritime patrol aircraft and approximately 40 personnel.
Participating forces will refine their anti-submarine warfare tactics during the exercise through combined maritime patrol operations and simulated anti-submarine target tracking drills.
Lt. Col. Jeong Eun Sook, commanding officer of the 613th Air Squadron and exercise commander, stated, “This exercise offers a valuable opportunity to improve combined air anti-submarine warfare capabilities among the participating nations and perfect our anti-submarine tactics. We aim to enhance our ability to respond to underwater threats and increase interoperability with our allied forces.”