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Royal Marines conduct covert raids in South Korea

September 10, 2024

The Royal Marines have participated in a large-scale military exercise on the Korean Peninsula, engaging in covert raiding, surveillance, and reconnaissance missions.

According to a Royal Navy press release, the Commandos were part of Exercise Ssang Yong—a joint exercise with the US and Republic of Korea (ROK) Marines, involving approximately 13,000 personnel.

This marks the second consecutive year the UK Commando Force has been deployed to South Korea for this exercise. The Royal Marines worked closely with the US Marines’ 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit’s Recon Company and ROK Marine recon elements to carry out specialist missions.

The press release detailed how a strike team of 12 commandos from Taunton-based 40 Commando’s Alpha Company played a crucial role in operations near Pohang, a port city on South Korea’s eastern coast. These manoeuvres formed part of a larger amphibious exercise, aimed at showcasing the overwhelming power that allied forces can deploy in complex amphibious operations.

“We participated in an immensely successful joint package ranging from aircraft control to a surveillance and reconnaissance mission,” said Major Hugo Grant, commander of Alpha Company. “The company demonstrated once again that the UK Commando Force is able to deploy and work with partners, anywhere in the world.”

Additionally, Royal Marines took part in a separate raid at the Rodriguez Live-Fire Complex, located north of Seoul. Meanwhile, Joint Terminal Attack Controllers (JTACs) from 29 Commando coordinated airstrikes alongside US and ROK counterparts at the Pilsung ranges near Mount Taeback.

The 13-day exercise, which ran from August 26 to September 7, saw the deployment of more than 40 ships, 40 aircraft—including F-35B Lightning jets—and 40 Korean Amphibious Assault Vehicles. According to the release, the exercise focused on improving joint force capabilities to conduct combined amphibious landings and neutralise enemy positions in a hypothetical conflict scenario.

Lt. Colonel Cho Hyun-Chul of the ROK Marine Corps, who commanded the landing forces, was quoted as saying: “This exercise reaffirms the strong alliance between the Republic of Korea and US Marine Corps and further strengthens our combined defence posture. Going forward, the ROK and US Marine Corps will firmly retaliate against any provocation from the enemy.”