News - World: The naval forces of the United States, South Korea and Japan staged major trilateral anti-submarine drills for the first time in five years on Friday amid growing tension over North Korea's recent missile tests.

The US Navy said the drills were aimed at enhancing inter-operability and tactical and technical coordination between the three countries.

The exercises reportedly brought together the USS Ronald Reagan aircraft carrier, the 9,800-ton guided missile cruiser USS Chancellorsville, the 6,900-ton Aegis-equipped destroyer USS Barry, South Korea's 4,400-ton destroyer Munmu the Great and Japan's 5,100-ton tanker Asahi, among other warships.

In a statement, the South Korean navy said the war games were choreographed to bolster their capability to respond effectively to North Korea's evolving SLBM technology at a time when Pyongyang continues to pose "nuclear and missile threats".

"The exercises are designed to improve their capability to respond to increasing North Korean submarine threats, including its submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBM) at a time when it consistently poses nuclear and missile threats with a series of ballistic missile tests," it said.

Harris arrived in Seoul on Thursday on a trip planned to underscore Washington’s commitment to defending South Korea in the face of alleged "threats" from the North.

The US vice president also visited the heavily-fortified Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) separating the two Koreas for the first time.

The South Korean military said on the same day that it had detected the launch of “two short-range ballistic missiles from the Sunchon area in South Pyongan province,” with Japan's coast guard also confirming a likely ballistic missile launch from North Korea.

Source: Press TV