DVIDS – News – US-ROK IAMD Tabletop Academy 2024

JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM, Hawaii – The Pacific Integrated Air and Missile Defense (IAMD) Center hosted the fifth United States-Republic of Korea (ROK) Tabletop Academy (KTTA), marking a significant step in strengthening ROK-U.S. defense cooperation. The event, held July 8-19, brought together key components of the ROK defense departments, including the ROK Air Force, Air and Missile Defense Command, and the ROK Navy. Several U.S. entities participated, including the Department of Defense, Pacific Air Forces (PACAF), U.S. Army Pacific (USARPAC), 94th Army Air and Missile Defense Command (AAMDC), Pacific Fleet (PACFLT), NSA Weapons, Space and Cyber ​​​​Security, U.S. Space Forces – Indo-Pacific, Joint Counter-small Unmanned Aerial Systems (C-sUAS) Office, and the Joint Ballistic Missile Defense Training & Education Center (JBTEC). The academy focused on enhancing ROK-US IAMD’s expertise through practical defense design planning and modeling using the International Simulations (I-SIM) program.

KTTA 24 was primarily a bilateral hybrid (in-person/virtual) IAMD event. It provided a classified platform for open collaboration, exchange of views, and regional dialogue on IAMD operations between the United States and the ROK. The event was aimed at advancing theater security cooperation and identifying combined IAMD capabilities and challenges within a multilateral environment, aligned with the US INDOPACOM vision.
A highlight of this year’s KTTA was the integration of trilateral participation by the ROK, Japan, and the U.S. On August 18, 2023, President Biden welcomed ROK President Yoon and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida to a historic trilateral summit at Camp David. During the summit, the three leaders reaffirmed continued progress in regularizing defensive exercises that contribute to strengthening trilateral responses to threats posed by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) (Fact Sheet: Trilateral Summit, August 18, 2023). In the spirit of this summit, the ROK Air and Missile Defense Command approved the U.S. planner’s invitation for Japan to observe parts of the event and share national IAMD presentations between the ROK, the U.S., and Japan. This was the first KTTA to allow the trilateral countries to share their operational national IAMD letters, thereby strengthening trilateral cooperation in support of a free, open, and prosperous Indo-Pacific.

“The training was beneficial because of the participation of the Japan Air Self-Defense Force,” said ROK Air Defense Capt. Choi Jongwon. “It allowed our countries to share knowledge about ballistic missiles.” In addition, KTTA focused on IAMD observations and lessons learned from exercises across the theater, making real progress in the ROK joint IAMD academy with both the ROK Navy and Air Force.

This academy reflects the United States’ commitment to strengthening the national defense of the U.S. and its allies while demonstrating the importance of international partnerships in addressing complex security threats. By fostering cooperation and sharing expertise, the U.S. and ROK work to enhance their joint defense capabilities and promote stability in the Indo-Pacific region.