S Korea holds live-fire drill near border

SEOUL (AFP): South Korea Thursday launched a major live-fire drill near the tense land border with North Korea in a show of strength marking the first anniversary of the sinking of one of its warships.

Tanks, armoured personnel carriers, artillery pieces, helicopters and jets took part in the drill at the Pocheon range, 30 kilometres south of the border, the defence ministry said.

The show of force came a day after the North's military threatened to fire back in retaliation for a planned launch of leaflets by anti-Pyongyang activists near the disputed Yellow Sea border.

Korean Researchers Reveal New Sea Defense Model

Military tension between North Korea and the Republic of Korea (South Korea) extends to areas of the Yellow Sea. Now defence experts based in the Republic of Korea have devised improved methods to model underwater warfare, which they believe can aid future decisions about weapons and defence purchases. The details appear in the Journal of Defense Modeling and Simulation, published by SAGE.

The researchers based at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) and Seowon University, both in the Republic of Korea, set out to design an underwater warfare model to gain insight into how factors such as tactics and the performance of underwater weapons influence the measurement of effectiveness (MOE) of a weapons system.

Governments considering whether to purchase equipment, such as torpedoes or mobile decoys, use these types of modelling and simulation as part of their decision making process both for purchases, and for making tactical decisions.

Carl Vinson CSG to Visit Republic of Korea

From USS Carl Vinson Carrier Strike Group Public Affairs

USS CARL VINSON, At Sea (NNS) -- The USS Carl Vinson Carrier Strike Group (CSG) will visit the Republic of Korea (ROK) Jan. 11.

USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) and USS Bunker Hill (CG 52) will visit Busan; USS Gridley (DDG 101) and USS Stockdale (DDG 106) will visit Chinhae.

The Carl Vinson CSG is conducting a regularly scheduled deployment to the Western Pacific. While in port, the crews will participate in community service projects, as well as sporting events, with the ROK Navy.

"Regular visits to ports in this region are an important part of our presence and engagement here. We are not only allies but we've been fortunate to forge real friendships with the Korean people," said Rear Adm. Samuel Perez, Carl Vinson CSG commander. "Through the events we have planned in Busan and Chinhae, our Sailors are looking forward to learning more about this wonderful culture and strengthening an already healthy relationship."

In addition to the surface ships attached to the strike group, Carl Vinson is home to Destroyer Squadron 1 and Carrier Air Wing 17, which includes: the "Red Lions" of Helicopter Anti-submarine Squadron 15; the "Fighting Redcocks" of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 22; the "Fists of the Fleet" of VFA 25; the "Sunliners" of VFA 81; the "Stingers" of VFA 113; the "Rawhides" of Fleet Logistics Support Squadron 40; the "Garudas" of Electronic Attack Squadron 134; and the "Tigertails" of Carrier Airborne Early Warning Squadron 125.

"For many of our Sailors, this will be their first visit to a foreign land," said Perez. "We feel very fortunate that they'll be able to experience that here and build relationships they'll remember for years to come."

The U.S. Navy maintains a robust forward presence in the Asia-Pacific region, utilizing both forward deployed naval forces in Japan and Guam, as well as rotationally deployed forces from the continental United States and Hawaii.

Carrier Strike Group 1 was formally established October 1, 2009, and led Carl Vinson and Bunker Hill when the ships supported disaster response and humanitarian operations in Haiti in 2010.

This is Bunker Hill's first deployment since it underwent cruiser modernization, the first Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser to complete its mid-life modernization.

This is Stockdale's maiden deployment, and Carl Vinson's first deployment to 7th Fleet since 2005.