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Korean sub to participate in combined exercise with U.S. in first for Navy

Published: 17 Nov. 2025, 15:53

The Ahn Mu, a 3,000-ton Dosan An Chang-ho-class submarine, departs Jinhae Naval Base on Nov. 4 to participate in the 2025 Silent Shark exercise. [NAVY]

The Korean Navy announced Monday that it will participate in Silent Shark, a combined Korea-U.S. antisubmarine warfare exercise held off the coast of Guam, with a domestically designed and built Korean submarine participating for the first time.

According to the Navy, the 3,000-ton SS-III Dosan An Chang-ho–class Ahn Mu submarine and two P-3 maritime patrol aircraft will take part in the drills, running for one month beginning Tuesday. The Ahn Mu is the first Korean-made submarine to be deployed to an overseas combined exercise.

Silent Shark is a biennial drill hosted by the U.S. Navy’s Submarine Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet, and aims to enhance joint operational capabilities and interoperability between Korean and U.S. submarines and aircraft. It has been conducted since 2007.

The Ahn Mu departed from Jinhae Naval Base on Nov. 4 and arrived in Guam on Monday. “This proves the seafaring capabilities of Korea’s 3,000-ton class submarines developed with domestic defense technology and their ability to operate in various underwater environments, including the high-temperature tropical waters,” the Korean Navy said in a statement.

Until now, the Korean Navy has participated in Silent Shark with six 1,200-ton SS-I Jang Bogo–class ships and three 1,800-ton SS-II Son Won-il–class submarines. This is the first time a 3,000-ton submarine has joined the drill.

The Ahn Mu, a 3,000-ton Dosan An Chang-ho-class submarine, departs Jinhae Naval Base on Nov. 4 to participate in the 2025 Silent Shark exercise. [NAVY]

The U.S. Navy is dispatching a submarine and P-8 maritime patrol aircraft for the exercise. The two navies will conduct submarine tracking and engagement drills, free-play battle simulations and aerial antisubmarine warfare training to strengthen their joint maritime defense posture.

Meanwhile, Korea’s Cyber Operations Command and the U.S. Cyber Command began a Korea-U.S. Cyber Alliance drill on Monday at the U.S. Friendship Annex, a National Security Agency facility complex in Maryland. The training will run through Friday.

Now in its second year, following its debut in 2024, the drill is based on an agreement reached at the 54th Korea-U.S. Security Consultative Meeting, or SCM, in November 2022. It aims to enhance joint readiness against cyber threats. Cyber personnel from both countries will practice rapid information sharing and coordinated responses to simulated cyberattacks.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY PARK HYUN-JU,SHIM SEOK-YONG [[email protected]]