[Anchor]
The joint South Korea-U.S. Ulchi Freedom Shield (UFS) exercises are set to kick off on the 17th. While the drills are said to keep the transition of wartime operational control in mind, there are no practical exercises led by the South Korean military, and real-world field maneuver training has been scaled back. Meanwhile, the Russian Pacific Fleet has announced large-scale drills in the East Sea during the same period.
Reporting from defense specialist reporter Kim Taehun.
[Reporter]
The South Korean and U.S. military authorities announced that the second-half joint exercise, Ulchi Freedom Shield (UFS), will take place from the 17th to the 27th, stating that the drills were planned by reflecting recent wartime scenarios and the schedule for the transfer of wartime operational control (OPCON).
[Ryan Donald / USFK Director of Public Affairs: This exercise will serve as an opportunity to support the ongoing preparation process for the conditions-based transition of wartime operational control.]
However, experts analyze that accelerating the OPCON transfer requires a South Korea-led exercise where a South Korean military commander directs the drills, but the upcoming UFS will be led by the U.S. military.
It is also known that battalion-level or larger field training exercises, which involve actual troop and equipment movements, have been reduced from 17 cases last year to 14 this year.
The South Korean military maintains that there are no issues since the drills are distributed throughout the year.
[Jang Doyoung / JCS Director of Public Affairs: We are conducting combined field maneuver training in an integrated manner at the battalion level or higher, balancing it throughout the year.]
Criticism has also been raised that recent trends by the North Korean military, such as reinforced frontline multiple rocket launcher forces and frontline fortification, were not reflected in the UFS.
While the UFS is being conducted on a somewhat reduced scale, the Russian Pacific Fleet will stage large-scale drills in the East Sea during the same period, mobilizing about 60 vessels, some 30 aircraft, and roughly 13,000 troops.
The Russian Ministry of Defense stated that the drills began on the 4th and will continue for several weeks.
Russian media reported that core forces of Russia's Far Eastern military, including nuclear submarines and strategic bombers, will not only conduct joint exercises in the East Sea and the Sea of Okhotsk, but also perform "coastal defense drills" using hypersonic anti-ship missiles.
(Photo: Kim Hyunsang | Video Editing: Jung Sunghoon)
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