U.S. Calls South Korea's First RIMPAC Maritime Command a "Historic Milestone"... First Key Command Role for an Asian Nation

[Financial News] The U.S. military commander overseeing the world's largest multinational maritime exercise, the Rim of the Pacific Exercise (RIMPAC), called South Korea's first-ever assumption of a key command role in the drill a "historic milestone." It is the fourth time overall that a non-U.S. country has held a core RIMPAC post, and the first for an Asian nation.
According to the U.S. Department of State on the 29th local time, Vice Adm. Jeffrey Jablon, commander of the RIMPAC Combined Task Force and deputy commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet, said during a joint video press conference with South Korea and Japan marking the end of the exercise that South Korea's role as commander of the Combined Maritime Component Command (CMCC) was a "historic milestone" in leadership.
Vice Adm. Jablon also said that Chile, Canada and Japan each carried out command roles in their respective areas. "This kind of leadership is not merely symbolic; it is about actual operational execution," he said. "The participating countries provided real capabilities, and the combined force benefited from their leadership."
Rear Adm. Kim In-ho, who served as commander of the Combined Maritime Component Command in this exercise, said, "The Korean Navy has continued to strengthen its ability to conduct combined operations through its participation in RIMPAC." He added, "This maritime command role was a valuable opportunity to take the Korean Navy's capabilities to the next level."
South Korea is the fourth country overall, and the first in Asia, to have a non-U.S. nation hold the key RIMPAC post of Combined Maritime Component Command.
This year's RIMPAC, held from June 24 to July 31, included South Korea's latest assets, such as the 8,200-ton Aegis destroyer ROKS Jeongjo the Great, the 3,000-ton submarine ROKS Dosan Ahn Chang-ho, and the P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft.
During the press conference, reporters also asked whether the RIMPAC exercise was intended for a possible contingency involving Taiwan. Vice Adm. Jablon pushed back on that interpretation, saying, "RIMPAC is not an exercise designed to send a signal to any specific country. It is meant to improve readiness and interoperability for all participating nations."
The United States says RIMPAC is not aimed at China, but is intended to strengthen the combined operational capabilities of allied and partner nations for security in the Pacific Ocean. China, however, has criticized RIMPAC as a "China containment exercise" and, just before this year's drill, responded by publicly releasing footage of a launch of its hypersonic missile DF-17 for the first time.

[email protected] Kim Kyung-min Reporter