S. Korea, US to begin key summertime military exercise next week
South Korea and the United States will begin a major combined military exercise next week, their militaries said Monday, as they are in preparations for Seoul's retaking of wartime command from Washington. The annual Ulchi Freedom Shield (UFS) exercise will take place from Aug. 17-27, in a bid to bolster their joint defense readiness, drills widely viewed as contingency training against North…
South Korea and the United States are set to commence a significant military exercise next week, as reported by their militaries on Monday. This year's Ulchi Freedom Shield (UFS) exercise will run from August 17 to 27, with the primary aim of enhancing joint defense readiness. The drills, widely perceived as contingency training against North Korea, will incorporate realistic threats and foster combined, joint, all-domain operations.
According to a joint statement, the exercise will bolster the allies' readiness and capabilities through these operations. South Korea and the U.S. conduct two large-scale combined exercises annually, with the Freedom Shield (FS) taking place in the spring and the UFS in the summer. The South's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) emphasized that the upcoming UFS exercise will offer an opportunity to bolster ongoing preparations for a conditions-based wartime operational control (OPCON) transition.
The UFS is viewed as a testing ground where the allies can assess South Korea's ability to lead combined forces once Seoul assumes wartime command from Washington.
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- S. Korea, US to hold UFS exercise from Aug. 17 koreatimes.co.kr
- (LEAD) S. Korea, U.S. to begin key summertime military exercise next week en.yna.co.kr
