South Korea to expand naval task groups with more Aegis destroyers

South Korea plans to expand naval task groups with Aegis destroyers in the next decade in an effort to boost combat capabilities against North Korea and its Asian neighbors, the defense ministry said Friday. South Korea currently operates one naval task group with three Aegis-equipped guided missile destroyers. Envisaging the deployment of three more 7,400-ton Aegis destroyers from 2023 to 2027, the defense reform plan for 2014-2030 calls for reorganization of naval task groups, though it does not specify a particular schedule. "The military plans to reorganize the naval task forces by around 2023 in connection with the additional acquisition of Aegis destroyers," a senior ministry official said, asking for anonymity. "The task forces will be operated to deter North Korea's nuclear and missile threats, and prepare for all-out battles with the North and maritime disputes with neighboring nations."    The defense blueprint calls for the establishment of another naval task group in 2023, and one more by around 2030, when all three Aegis ships are expected to be deployed. A naval task group is usually composed of two Aegis destroyers, two 4,400 Korean-type destroyers and two submarines. When the deployment of 5,000-ton class Aegis destroyers and 3,000-ton submarines is completed in 2030, they will also become part of the task groups. Despite the Navy's latest radar system, the South Korean Aegis ships are currently limited in countering North Korea's ballistic missiles, with their SM-2 missiles having a range of just 148 kilometers. However, the long-term defense plan does not envisage equipping new ships with longer-range interceptors, such as the SM-3, a ship-based missile used to intercept short- to intermediate-range ballistic missile. Japan has armed six of its Aegis ships with SM-3 Block 1B missiles, approving a budget to upgrade them with longer-range missiles from 2018 to enhance its ballistic missile defense capabilities against an increasingly assertive China. Although more advanced ships and submarines are expected to be in place in the next decade, the Navy faces fewer personnel under the long-term defense plan that freezes the total number of naval forces at 41,000. Among them, 21,000 are conscripts who serve the compulsory military service for two years, raising concern over a lack of sailors with technical skills and expertise. "Although the government acknowledges Aegis destroyers and large submarines as strategic weapons, it is not interested in how to maintain forces to operate the ships," a senior Navy official said, asking for anonymity as he was not authorized to speak to media. "The military should establish alternatives by assigning professional soldiers to combat missions, while outsourcing maintenance and support tasks to other organizations."