Seoul submits plan to expand Cheonghae Unit mission for parliamentary approval
The government submitted a revised motion to the National Assembly to expand the mission of its Cheonghae anti-piracy unit, extending its operating area from the Gulf of Aden to waters south of Oman and adding military assets to protect shipping routes. Under the proposal, the unit’s personnel ceiling would rise from 320 to 395, with the addition of a P-8 maritime patrol aircraft, an explosive…
The Korean government has submitted a motion to the National Assembly for approval to expand the mission of the Cheonghae anti-piracy unit, extending its operating area from the Gulf of Aden to waters south of Oman. The proposed expansion includes increasing the unit's personnel from 320 to 395, adding a P-8 maritime patrol aircraft, an explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) team, and unmanned mine-clearing equipment.
The additional 75 personnel would be specifically assigned to the P-8 aircraft and the EOD team, with the new equipment comprising unmanned surface and underwater vehicles, and remotely operated underwater robots. The revised mandate also adds support for restoring freedom of navigation along international shipping routes to the unit's existing anti-piracy and vessel protection duties.
This deployment is set to run until December 31, 2027, pending parliamentary approval. The expansion comes as piracy in the region has increased, partly due to multinational naval forces shifting towards the area.
Brief written by urgent.news from The Korea Times's own syndicated text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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