South Korea and the United States have agreed to conduct regular joint exercises to counter space threats, the Yonhap news agency reported, citing the South Korean Ministry of Defense.
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“The parties agreed to organize new joint exercises between South Korea and the United States to respond to space threats and hold them for the first time in the first half of next year. The goal is to conduct them on a regular basis once a year,” Yonhap wrote.
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South Korea and the United States have agreed to conduct regular joint exercises to counter space threats, the Yonhap news agency reported, citing the South Korean Ministry of Defense.
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“The parties agreed to organize new joint exercises between South Korea and the United States to respond to space threats and hold them for the first time in the first half of next year. The goal is to conduct them on a regular basis once a year,” Yonhap writes.
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Defense officials from the two countries also agreed to have the South Korean military join the U.S. Space Force’s Joint Defense and Commercial Space Operations (JCO Cell) program. This unit, as noted by Yonhap, is an organization that monitors the activities of enemy reconnaissance satellites. 15 states are already taking part in its work, and after training military specialists who will ensure South Korean participation, Seoul will officially join the program on January 1 next year.
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In addition, the parties decided to continue efforts to create a system for exchanging information from American early warning satellites (SEWS) starting in 2024, opening specialized training programs for the US space forces in South Korea, and also discuss sending South Korean liaison officers to these troops.
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At the end of April, South Korea and the United States already conducted joint space exercises aimed at repelling attacks from the DPRK on the American global positioning system (GPS). During the training, the South Korean Air Force’s Space Operations Squadron and U.S. Space Force Korea were reported to have formed a joint team for the first time. The exercise used data collected by U.S. military satellites, but the team also discussed ways to integrate South Korean satellites into actual missions and operations.
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The Space Operations Squadron was established in South Korea in December 2022 as an integrated unit for space operations and monitoring Pyongyang’s developing space capabilities. U.S. Space Force Korea was also established in December 2022 as the first U.S. Space Force unit stationed on foreign soil.
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North Korea launched its first military reconnaissance satellite in November last year and has announced plans to launch more spacecraft into orbit this year. The first attempt in May was unsuccessful: the first stage of the new Mulligan-1-1 launch vehicle exploded in mid-air. The South Korean military is reported to be closely monitoring North Korea’s preparations for the next launch.
