Military proposes `strategic mobile fleet` to protect territory

The Korean military will report to the National Assembly the results of a study urging the setup of a “strategic mobile fleet” mainly comprising six Aegis ships and three landing platform ships, according to a source from the nation`s defense circle Thursday.

A blueprint for the proposed naval buildup will be made aimed at coping with territorial conflicts with neighboring countries and protecting Korea`s maritime transportation routes.

The source said the Defense Acquisition Program Administration recently completed a study on strengthening the Navy over the mid to long term in response to China and Japan`s efforts to beef up their naval strength.

Late last year, the National Assembly budgeted 500 million won (440,563 U.S. dollars) for the research under the condition that the Defense Ministry took administrative action to implement a naval buildup plan based on the research results. Thus, parliament made it clear that the study should be developed into a concrete plan to beef up the Navy.

Military and civilian experts at the Korea Institute for Defense Analyses and Seoul National University as well as some 30 advisers participated in the eight-month study.

In the process, several figures proposed an increase in the number of Aegis ships to eight and naming the new fleet the “Dokdo-Ieodo Fleet.” According to the source, the proposed number and prospective name were later adjusted in consideration of budget and Korea`s relations with neighboring countries.

Establishing a strategic mobile fleet will require construction of three Aegis ships, two large landing platform vessels and three destroyers. Since the 1990s, the military has sought to set up a mobile fleet of six Aegis ships and 12 destroyers, among others. Budgetary problems, however, has led to the reduction of the number of Aegis ships to be introduced to three.

The budget for building a mobile fleet is an estimated 6.5 trillion won (5.7 billion dollars). Once established, the fleet will use a naval base in Busan and another to be completed on Jeju Island by 2015. A strategic mobile fleet has three mobile battle groups under it, and each group has two Aegis ships, one landing platform vessel and submarines.

“We should get to building a strategic mobile fleet before it`s too late to cope with neighboring countries’ strategies for maritime expansion,” a senior military source said.

The defense procurement agency also said Thursday that it delivered the country’s third Aegis ship, the Seoae Ryu Seong-ryong (7,600 tons), which will be deployed to active duty in the middle of next year.

ysh1005@donga.com