In response to Pyongyang’s record-breaking number of missile launches this year, the United States, Japan and South Korea have stepped up efforts to advance their defense capabilities, with Seoul and Tokyo recently testing new missile interceptors and the U.S. Space Force establishing its first unit in the Indo-Pacific region.
The moves came as defense officials from the three countries agreed last month to maintain "effective bilateral and multilateral security cooperation and coordination" to deal with North Korea, which not only continues to test a flurry of weapon systems but has also threatened to deploy tactical nukes in a pre-emptive strike.
To deal with the mounting challenge and enhance its ballistic missile defenses (BMD), Japan’s Maritime Self-Defense Force completed a series of tests off Hawaii last week that saw it shoot down short- and medium-range ballistic missile targets using the SM-3 Block IB and SM-3 Block IIA interceptors.
The successful tests, which were carried out from the MSDF’s two Maya-class destroyers in partnership with the U.S. Missile Defense Agency (MDA), marked the first time a Japanese warship fired an SM-3 Block IIA, which is an advanced weapon jointly developed by the United States and Japan. The interceptor operates as part of the Aegis BMD system and can be launched from Aegis-equipped ships as well as ground-based Aegis Ashore sites.
The two-week tests also saw both destroyers work together, with JS Haguro using tracking data collected by its sister ship, JS Maya, to shoot down a missile target. This so-called cooperative engagement capability allows warships and other assets to share real-time sensor data on incoming air targets.
MDA Director Vice Adm. Jon Hill said in a statement that the success of these tests marks “a significant milestone” in U.S.-Japanese missile defense cooperation, adding that the integration of the SM-3 Block IIA with the Aegis Weapon System on Japan's BMD-capable ships is “a remarkable achievement and vitally important in defending against an ever-increasing threat.”
The move also demonstrates the interceptor’s capability to counter “medium- and intermediate-range ballistic missiles,” he added.
Japan currently operates eight Aegis-equipped destroyers capable of air and missile defense, and Tokyo plans to build two dedicated BMD-capable ships after abandoning plans in mid-2020 to set up two land-based Aegis Ashore missile defense facilities.
Another successful interception test was carried out in South Korea, with the Yonhap news agency reporting Tuesday that the country downed a ballistic missile target using its Long-range Surface-to-Air Missile (L-SAM) system, apparently for the first time.
The L-SAM, which is being developed by the state-run Agency for Defense Development and local defense firm LIG Nex1, will feature two types of interceptors — for ballistic missiles and aircraft — with the former expected to have a range of 150 kilometers and be capable of intercepting missiles at altitudes of 40 to 100 km, and the latter intended for use against high-flying aircraft out to ranges of 150 km.
The L-SAM is set to play a key role in the country's multilayered missile defense shield — called the Korea Air and Missile Defense — alongside the U.S. Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) missile system and the mid-range Cheongung II air-defense system, the latter of which is designed primarily to engage enemy aircraft and incoming ballistic missile targets out to a range of 40 km, with a ceiling of about 20 km.
The L-SAM announcement was followed by the U.S. Space Force’s activation of its first command in the Indo-Pacific region, in a move expected to bolster U.S. defense capabilities against ballistic missile threats posed by both China and North Korea.
Assigned to the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, the new unit will be tasked with managing military space operations across the region, with AirForceTimes reporting that this marks the first time the U.S. military will have a unit “solely focused on incorporating satellite- and radar-based surveillance, target tracking, communications and more in the Indo-Pacific.”
The new component will provide the U.S. regional command with “a cadre of space experts who can work with allies and partners to integrate space activities into shared operations, activities, and investments,” said the U.S. Space Force.
By doing this, the new component “will enhance security stretching from the Indian Ocean across South and East Asia to the West coast of the United States.”
The latest developments come after the U.S., Japan and South Korea conducted an anti-submarine exercise for the first time in five years in late September, as well as a ballistic missile defense exercise in early October.
The moves also follow an agreement between the leaders of the three countries to take "resolute steps" toward the complete denuclearization of North Korea amid heightened tensions over Pyongyang's unprecedented rate of missile tests this year.
The three leaders, who met Nov. 13 on the fringes of an international summit in Phnom Penh, also agreed to share “real-time missile warning data,” according to the South Korean media reports.
Following the gathering, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida told reporters that the three-way cooperation is becoming more important than ever, given the possibility of further provocations by North Korea, including a potential seventh nuclear test.
Pyongyang, which has threatened to use tactical nuclear weapons in a pre-emptive strike, launched an intercontinental ballistic missile on Nov. 18 — its second this month — that fell into waters some 210 km off Hokkaido in Japan’s exclusive economic zone, which extends 200 nautical miles (370 km) from the coast.
North Korea’s missile tests are not only escalating regional tensions but also raising the threat posed to neighboring countries, as the regime seeks to make up for its military weaknesses against Washington and its Asian allies by expanding its missile and nuclear arsenal.
But while Pyongyang has traditionally sought to drive wedges between Washington, Tokyo and Seoul, the latest developments also indicate that its repeated provocations are having the opposite effect, as Japan and South Korea put aside long-standing political differences — at least for now — to focus on mutual security interests.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.