U.S, South Korea begin largest joint military drills

The United States and South Korea began one of their largest combined military air drills involving hundreds of warplanes from both sides.

The operation, called Vigilant Storm, will run until Friday, and will feature about 240 warplanes conducting about 1,600 sorties, the U.S. Air Force said in a statement.

“(South Korea) and U.S. Air Forces will work together with the joint services to perform major air missions such as close air support, defensive counter air, and emergency air operations 24 hours a day during the training period,” the U.S. Air Force said.

“Support forces on the ground will also train their base defense procedures and survivability in case of attack.” It added.

That number of missions is the highest ever for this annual event, it added.

Vigilant Storm will include variants of the F-35 stealth fighter from both the United States and South Korea, among other aircraft.

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Australia will also deploy an aerial refueling aircraft for the drills.

The allies say such training is needed to counter potential threats from North Korea, which has staged a record number of missile launches this year and has made preparations to resume nuclear testing for the first time since 2017.

Pyongyang has condemned joint drills as a rehearsal for invasion and proof of hostile policies by Washington and Seoul.

In protest of recent drills, North Korea has launched missiles, conducted air drills, and fired artillery into the sea.

Zainab Sa’id