The South Korean Navy's latest Aegis destroyer, the ROKS Jeongjo the Great (8,200 tons), set sail Tuesday to participate in the Rim of the Pacific Exercise (RIMPAC), the world's largest multinational maritime exercise led by the United States.
According to the Navy, the Jeongjo the Great departed from a naval base for Hawaii to take part in RIMPAC from late this month through July. This marks the destroyer's first RIMPAC participation since its commissioning in December 2024. Joining the Jeongjo the Great are the 3,000-ton submarine Dosan Ahn Changho, a P-8A maritime patrol aircraft, the 4,900-ton amphibious landing ship Cheonjabong, the 3,100-ton frigate Daejeon, along with about 700 Navy and Marine Corps personnel.
For this year's 30th RIMPAC, South Korea will serve as the Combined Force Maritime Component Commander (CFMCC), commanding multinational naval forces for the first time since it began participating in the exercise and becoming the first Asian nation to take on the role. Rear Adm. Kim In-ho, commander of the Navy's Maritime Task Flotilla, who will serve as the Combined Force Maritime Component Commander, said, "Taking on the commander's role for the first time represents a leap from a participating nation to a leading nation in the exercise."
