Doha: The South Korean and US navies conducted joint naval drills this week in the East Sea involving a US nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, in a move aimed at strengthening their combined defense posture, South Korea's Navy said Friday.

According to Qatar News Agency, the four-day exercise ran from Tuesday through Friday and mobilized more than a dozen warships and maritime patrol aircraft from both countries.

South Korean assets included the ROKS Yulgok Yi I and ROKS Seoae Ryu Seong-ryong, both Aegis-equipped destroyers. From the US side, the USS George Washington aircraft carrier participated alongside the USS Robert Smalls guided-missile cruiser and the USS Milius and USS Shoup Aegis-equipped destroyers.

"This training was prepared to strengthen deterrence against North Korea, as well as the interoperability of the South Korea-US navies, based on the steadfast South Korea-US alliance," the South Korean Navy said in a statement. During the exercise, participating forces conducted realistic maritime drills, including anti-submarine warfare, air defense operations, and maritime logistics, the Navy added.