US and South Korean forces took part in a joint operation to demonstrate anti-submarine and ballistic missile capabilities off the coast of the Korean Peninsula Monday. The Navy’s USS Spruance guided missile destroyer and P-3 Orion patrol aircraft joined South Korean Aegis destroyers, submarines, anti-submarine helicopters, and P-3s in the drill, which was held “in response to recent North Korean provocations and is designed to send a strong message of unified resolve against continuing acts of North Korean aggression,” according to a US 7th Fleet release. North Korea has carried out numerous missile tests, including of submarine-launched ballistic missiles from off its eastern coast, and a fifth nuclear test in recent months. Last week, two B-1B Lancers flew closer to the demilitarized zone than any other B-1 in history as a show of force following the Sept. 9 nuclear test. (See also: Airmen Ready to Fight Tonight, Across the Pacific.)
The Biden administration is preparing to announce its final package of military assistance to Ukraine before Donald Trump takes office on Jan. 20, defense officials said Jan. 7. The military assistance, which is to be drawn from existing U.S. stocks, will be detailed when Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III convenes…