South Korea, US Stage Another Joint Air Drills To Improve Military Cohesion

MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 03rd February, 2023) South Korea and the United States staged joint air drills for the second time this week, involving American F-22 and F-35B stealth fighters, to improve operational capabilities, the South Korean air force said on Friday.

The previous joint air maneuvers over the Yellow Sea took place on Wednesday and involved one B-1B strategic bomber and several F-22 and F-35B stealth fighters of the US Air Force alongside South Korean F-35A fighters.

"The combined drills this time were conducted with the goal of improving combined operational capabilities and interoperability between the Air Forces of South Korea and the U.S.," the South Korean military was quoted as saying by the Yonhap news agency.

In addition, the new exercise aims to demonstrate Washington's "invariable will and capability to carry out its defense commitment to South Korea," the report said.

On Tuesday, South Korea and the US agreed to further expand and bolster the level and scale of their joint exercises this year. US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said that Washington "stands firm in its extended deterrence commitment," adding that Pyongyang had carried out an "unprecedented number" of provocative actions in 2022.

Following the US-South Korea drills on Wednesday, Pyongyang said that it would respond toughly to any military action of Washington under the principle of "nuke for nuke and an all-out confrontation for an all-out confrontation."