S. Korea Launches Strategic Naval Task Fleet Command

Based on Jeju Island, the new fleet consolidates the Republic of Korea Navy's major surface combatants and brings them closer to where they're needed most

AEGIS-equipped vessels from the US, South Korea, and Japan sail together during a trilateral exercise.

On February 1, the Republic of Korea Navy (ROKN) officially established its long-anticipated Task Fleet Command. Headquartered on the strategically vital island of Jeju, this new fleet consolidates the ROKN’s power projection-capable major surface combatants under a unified command structure. This development marks a significant milestone in South Korea’s naval capabilities and its strategic posture in the region.

Force Structure

As of February 2025, the Task Fleet Command is comprised of the following:

• Four AEGIS-equipped Sejong the Great class destroyers (KDX-3), including the recently commissioned Batch 2 unit, ROKS Jeongjo the Great

• Six Chungmugong Yi Sun-Sin class (KDX-2) area air-defense destroyers

• Four supply ships, most likely all three units of the Cheonji class and the lone Soyang class unit.

  
  

By the 2030’s, the Task Fleet Command is projected to expand to 18 destroyers, with the addition of two more Batch 2 AEGIS-equipped destroyers and all six units of the future KDDX destroyers.

Aside from the aforementioned vessels, it wouldn’t be surprising to see other ocean-going ROKN vessels frequenting the Task Fleet Command in Jeju. Such vessels may include the various batches of the Incheon class (FFX) frigates, Dokdo class flat-deck helicopter carriers, and the Dosan Ahn Chang-Ho class (KSS-3) submarines.

Jeju Island has been highlighted in yellow, while some of the PLAN North Sea Fleet’s key installations have been highlighted in red.

Implications for Regional Actors

For the United States and other like-minded armed forces operating in East Asia, this development is strategically significant. Located on Jeju Island, South Korea’s southernmost island capable of hosting a major naval installation, the new fleet positions some of the ROKN’s most advanced combat vessels closer to where they’re needed most.

While these destroyers could be of substantial utility in the East China Sea, Taiwan Strait, and South China Sea, the Task Fleet Command’s foremost strategic value lies in its proximity to Qingdao, home to the People’s Liberation Army Navy’s (PLAN) North Sea Fleet and one of its major submarine bases. Moreover, compared to other US-allied naval assets in the region, these South Korean destroyers are positioned closer to critical Chinese ports that literally fuel China’s capital city, Beijing, thereby providing enhanced strategic leverage.

Although the ROKN has maintained bases along Korea’s West Sea, which are also geographically close to Qingdao, these installations are suboptimal for permanently basing larger naval vessels due to the ebb and flow of shallow coastal waters.

Conclusion

The establishment of the ROKN’s Task Fleet Command represents a significant milestone in South Korea’s naval development. This development enhances South Korea’s ability to protect key sea lines of communication (SLOC), deploy as part of a multinational coalition in waters such as the East China Sea and Taiwan Strait, and strengthen regional stability alongside the likes of the US and Japan.

For details regarding the Task Fleet Command’s historical background and the challenges it had to overcome during its development, please refer to an article of mine that was published some years ago in The Diplomat.