U.S. Navy sailors wait as Republic of Korea Brig. Gen.

U.S. Navy sailors wait as Republic of Korea Brig. Gen. Kong Rae Cho exits the USS Ashland following a tour of the ship and a demonstration of U.S. Marine Corps maritime preposition force ship on-loading capabilities at the Gwangyang Port, Republic of Korea April 1, during exercise Freedom Banner 2014. “I am very pleased to be working with the U.S. Marines,” said Cho. “The U.S. military is powerful and these exercises on the (Korean) peninsula are good training for our partnership.” During the on-load two 427-ton cranes loaded six U.S. Marine Corps M1A1 Abrams Main Battle Tanks and five Humvees onto the ship destined for Pohang, Republic of Korea, where they will support amphibious assault exercise Ssang Yong 2014, which is a component of Marine Expeditionary Force Exercise 2014. Cho is the force planning general of ROK Marine Corps forces headquarters in Pohang. The sailors are assigned to the USS Ashland. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Matt Myers/RELEASED)