In this photo provided by South Korea Defense Ministry, South Korean Air Force’s F15K fighter jets and U.S. Air Force’s F-16 fighter jets, fly in formation during a joint drill in an undisclosed location in South Korea, Tuesday, Oct. 4, 2022. The South Korean and U.S. militaries responded to a North Korea morning missile launch by launching fighter jets which fired weapons at a target off South Korea’s west coast in a show of strength against North Korea. (South Korea Defense Ministry via AP)

The United States and South Korean held joint missile drills a day after North Korea launched a missile over Japan, while Washington also sent an aircraft carrier and strike group into the waters east of North Korea. 

We’ll explain why the two allies are making such military moves, plus new climate action plans from the Air Force, Space Force and the Army and how the United States might respond to a Russian nuclear attack in Ukraine.  

This is Defense & National Security, your nightly guide to the latest developments at the Pentagon, on Capitol Hill and beyond. For The Hill, I’m Ellen Mitchell. A friend forward this newsletter to you? Subscribe here.

The U.S. military and South Korean forces held joint missile drills a day after North Korea launched a missile over Japan, U.S. Indo-Pacific Command announced late Tuesday.   

The bilateral exercise over the West Sea was meant to “showcase combined deterrent and dynamic strike capabilities” and included the dropping of Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) precision bombs on the uninhabited island of Jikdo off the western coast of South Korea, according to the release. 

What was involved: In their own statement, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs said four U.S. Air Force F-16s and four South Korean F-15K fighter jets took part in the exercise, with an F-15K dropping two JDAMs. 

A malfunction: During the live fire drills, however, a South Korean ballistic missile malfunctioned as it landed, according to multiple reports. 

• The explosion caused a fire that panicked those in Gangneung on South Korea’s eastern coast, as Seoul did not give an explanation as to the reason of the accident.  
• South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff later said no injuries were reported and no civilian facilities were affected from the explosion, which happened when a Hyumoo-2 missile crashed inside an air force base on the edges of the city, The Associated Press reported. 
• An earlier provocation: North Korea on Monday tested an intermediate-range ballistic missile by firing it over Japan, raising alarms over the hermit nation’s growing nuclear capabilities and fears it may soon conduct its first nuclear test since 2017.
• The missile eventually landed in the Pacific Ocean and did not cause any casualties, though Japanese authorities issued evacuation warnings to residents of Hokkaido and Aomori prefectures in the island’s north.
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