S. Korea To Conduct Solo Air Exercise In December

(@FahadShabbir)

S. Korea to conduct solo air exercise in December

SEOUL, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 21st Oct, 2018 ) :Despite the possible suspension of the upcoming joint air defense exercise with the United States, South Korea will carry out its own air drill as scheduled in December, an official of the defense ministry here said Sunday.

The annual Seoul-Washington air exercise, Vigilant Ace, which had been scheduled for December, is highly likely to be suspended this year to lend support for ongoing peace efforts involving North Korea, according to officials of the allies.

The large-scale air exercise is conducted in December every year since 2015 involving dozens of aircraft and thousands of service members from the two nations.

"No changes will be made to the drill to be staged by the South Korean Air Force, though the joint programs will not take place," an official of Seoul's Ministry of National Defense told reporters.

He added that the final decision on the suspension will be made after talks between South Korean Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo and his US counterpart Jim Mattis during the Military Committee Meeting (MCM) and the Security Consultative Meeting (SCM) slated for later this month.