BUSAN, Republic of Korea –
Vice Adm. Karl Thomas, commander, U.S. 7th Fleet, visited Commander, Republic of Korea Fleet (CRF) Base in Busan, Republic of Korea (ROK), Feb. 2, to attend the 7th Anti-Submarine Warfare Cooperation Committee (ASWCC) meeting as the co-chair of the event.
The ASWCC meets once a year to assist the Republic of Korea Navy (ROKN) in its efforts to develop a more integrated, synchronized, and long-term approach to developing its Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) capabilities. A major objective of the ASWCC is to confirm recent progress made on strengthening alliance ASW capability.
ASWCC was established in August 2014 when 7th Fleet and CRF signed the ASW Improvement Program Charter and has since met annually to provide oversight to Alliance stakeholders charged with improving ASW readiness in the Korean Theater of Operations.
"I am honored to visit the ROK Fleet Command in the milestone year of the 70th anniversary of the ROK-U.S. Alliance, and discuss ways for maritime security cooperation between our two countries,” said Thomas, "The topics discussed today contribute greatly to strengthening the alliance between the ROK-U.S. navies, and ensures that this alliance will continue for generations.”
In addition to attending the ASWCC, Thomas took the opportunity to meet with ROK Sailors and leadership aboard the ROKN Dokdo-class amphibious assault ship ROKS Marado (LPH-6112), as well as U.S. Sailors stationed in Korea as part of Commander, Naval Forces Korea.
CNFK proudly celebrates its 70-year Alliance with our ROKN partners, continuing to foster an enduring relationship of mutual respect and working together to temper combined maritime warfighting capability, interoperability, and readiness that has spanned generations.