Royal Marines stormed ships, abseiled from helicopters and raided military forts in a drug-busting exercise
British commandos spent two weeks training alongside elite operators from South Korea’s naval special warfare group in the south-west of England
The exercise was the first of its kind in the UK involving the two nations and saw troops working together to sharpen the skills needed to stop terrorists and drug smugglers at sea
Advertisement
Green berets from 42 Commando – maritime specialists in counter-smuggling, piracy and terrorism – were involved alongside British operators from 47 and 29 Commando
Together with the Koreans, they worked as a combined force during a series of high-octane exercises, designed to mimic some of the most intense missions the commandos might face
One drill involved troops racing through Portland Harbour in Dorset to intercept and board a ship as part of a maritime interdiction test
Another scenario, 120 miles to the west, saw the joint force raiding the 19th-century Scraesdon Fort, in Cornwall, infiltrating it from the sea under the cover of darkness
Advertisement
They also conducted a boarding of the German replenishment tanker Rhön in the waters off Plymouth and spent time on Dartmoor at Foggin Tor carrying out a fast-roping drill, abseiling from Merlin helicopters flown by 845 Naval Air Squadron
The two-week wargame was the first time the two nations had carried out such exercises on British soil. The units previously worked together on the Korean peninsula during the deployment of the UK Carrier Strike Group to the region last year
The effort to ensure that British and Korean forces could operate with one another seamlessly comes amid increased tensions in the Far East, with China previously threatening to invade Taiwan, which could plunge the region into war
At the same time, Kim Jong-un, the North Korean leader, has previously threatened to use nuclear weapons to destroy his southern neighbours if attacked
Advertisement
Maj George Eatwell, who is in charge of M Coy, 42 Commando, said the two-week exercise “showcased our capability to plan and execute complex, high-end missions seamlessly”
Lt Col Oh Hyun-seok, commander of the South Korea’s special mission battalion, said the exercise took the tactical alliance to a “higher stage”
“We will continue to maintain the tactics capability to perfectly counter any terrorist threat in the future,” he added
Try full access to The Telegraph free today. Unlock their award-winning website and essential news app, plus useful tools and expert guides for your money, health and holidays
