Photo By Petty Officer 2nd Class Daniel Providakes | YOKOSUKA, Japan (March 23, 2026) – U.S. Navy Rear Adm. Lincoln Reifsteck, commander, Submarine Group 7, and Republic of Korea Navy (ROKN) Rear Adm. Tae Hoon Kim, commander, Submarine Force, sign action items during the Submarine Warfare Committee Meeting 61 in Yokosuka, Japan, March 23, 2026. U.S. 7th Fleet, the Navy's largest forward-deployed numbered fleet, routinely interacts and operates with allies and partners in preserving a free and open Indo-Pacific. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Daniel G. Providakes) see less
| View Image Page
61st Submarine Warfare Committee Meeting Held at Fluckey Hall
YOKOSUKA, Japan — The 61st iteration of the Submarine Warfare Committee Meeting (SWCM) took place at Fluckey Hall with Commander, Submarine Group (CSG) 7 and the Republic of Korea (ROK) Navy Submarine Force, March 23.
Rear Adm. Lincoln Reifsteck, commander, Submarine Group 7 hosted Rear Adm. Tae Hoon Kim, commander, ROK Navy Submarine Force (CSF), at Fluckey Hall where they discussed policies to enhance force interoperability and combined operations.
"The 61st Submarine Warfare Committee Meeting with the Republic of Korea
Navy is a continuation of the close coordination we already enjoy in the undersea domain," said Reifsteck. “Our combined force multiplies in lethality with each iteration of this event, ensuring we are able to provide sustained credible deterrence in the Indo-Pacific."
During the closing ceremony, both commanders signed SWCM 61 action items reaffirming their continued commitment towards maintaining close coordination and shared training opportunities in the coming year.
"For the past 70 years, the ROK-U.S. Alliance has served as the world’s most powerful and exemplary partnership, defending peace on the Korean Peninsula," said RADM Kim. "As the vanguard of this alliance, the ROK and U.S. submarine forces will continue to maintain a robust combined defense posture based on close cooperation and coordination."
SWCM pairs with the combined port visits, exercises, trainings, and other military cooperation activities by the U.S. and ROK submarine commands.
Recent examples of the port visits and operations stemming from the SWCM agreements are Los Angeles-class fast-attack submarine USS Greeneville’s (SSN 772) routine port visit to Busan, South Korea, December 23, 2025, for crew rest and resupply and ROKS Dosan Ahn Changho-class submarine Ahn Mu’s (SS 085) port visit to Naval Base Guam, November 17, 2025, in support of Silent Shark 2025.
U.S. and ROK submarine forces have held SWCM meetings since 1994. During these meetings, submarine force commanders and staff hold a dialogue on ways to continuing deepening the alliance and improve combined operations in support of a free and open Indo-Pacific. SWCM 60 was held in Jeju Do, Republic of Korea in May 2025.
CSG 7 directs forward-deployed, combat capable forces across the full spectrum of undersea warfare throughout the Western Pacific, Indian Ocean, and Arabian Sea.
For more news from Commander, Submarine Group 7, visit www.csp.navy.mil/csg7/
Subscribe
