South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman asked the U.S. Navy on Monday for its commitment to maintaining a staunch joint posture against possible enemy provocations, his office said.
  

Adm. Choi Yun-hee, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, made the remarks while visiting the USS Fort Worth, one of Washington's newest littoral battle ships, which is currently docked in the southern port city of Busan.
  

The 3,450-ton Freedom-class U.S. coastal combat ship arrived in Korea earlier this month and took part in the annual Seoul-Washington field training exercise Foal Eagle.
  

The combat ship, complete with surface warfare mission package capabilities including an MH-60R Seahawk helicopter and a MQ-8B Fire Scout unmanned aircraft system, was capable of getting closer to shore than larger ships during the exercise, which brought speed, maneuverability and shallow draft to this exercise, according to the U.S. Navy.
  

It marks the first time that an LCS has participated in the exercise.
  

In a meeting with the Fort Worth crew, Choi asked for their contribution to "the establishment of a strong joint defense posture by understanding the security environments of the Korean Peninsula and enhancing joint capabilities."
  

"Military exercises between the allies should continue to be launched in any circumstance," he said, stressing that a staunch defense posture is "key to countering enemy provocations."
  

Foal Eagle was one of two joint military exercises launched by the allies simultaneously on March 2. The field training exercise is set to continue until April 24, mobilizing some 200,000 South Korean and 3,700 American troops, while computer-focused drill Key Resolve wrapped up on Friday.
  

The joint exercises have further heightened tension on the peninsula, as Pyongyang has posed military threats by firing off missiles. But Seoul and Washington went ahead with them, stressing they are defensive in nature. (Yonhap)