SEOUL, Oct. 13 (Xinhua) -- South Korea and the United States will conduct joint maritime drills next week in waters near the Korean Peninsula, with a U.S. aircraft carrier to be mobilized.
The South Korean navy was quoted by local media outlets as saying the joint exercise with the U.S. navy would be staged from next Monday to Friday in the eastern and western waters of South Korea.
Joining the drill from the U.S. military would be USS Ronald Reagan nuclear-powered aircraft carrier under the U.S. 7th Fleet. The super-carrier is accompanied by Aegis destroyers, guided missile cruisers, combat support ships and a nuclear-powered submarine.
The drill, called Maritime Counter Special Operations Exercise, is aimed at defending the infiltration of enemy special forces, according to the navy.
From the South Korean side, the Sejong the Great Aegis destroyer will participate in the joint drill. Other battleships and submarines would be mobilized.
The number of battleships to be mobilized would be about 40, according to local media reports.
For the exercise, the South Korean military will also mobilize P-3 anti-submarine aircraft, F-15K, FA-18, A-10 fighter jets and Lynx, AW-159, UH-60, MH-60R helicopters.
