▲ US military vehicles wait at a US Forces Korea base in Dongducheon, Gyeonggi Province, on the 13th ahead of the South Korea-US joint military exercise, Ulchi Freedom Shield (UFS).
The South Korean and US military authorities commenced the Ulchi Freedom Shield (UFS) exercise, a regular joint drill for the defense of the Korean Peninsula in the event of a contingency, today (August 17).
This year's UFS exercise, running through August 27, incorporates lessons learned and analyzed from recent warfare trends. The scale of South Korean military participation remains similar to previous years at approximately 18,000 personnel.
During this UFS exercise period, 14 integrated field maneuver exercises (FTXs) are scheduled at the battalion level or higher.
This scale is slightly reduced compared to last year.
During last year's UFS period, a total of 22 joint FTXs were conducted based on company-level or higher, including 17 at the battalion level or higher.
While the South Korea-US alliance concentrated joint FTXs during the March Freedom Shield and August UFS exercises under the Yoon Suk Yeol administration, the trend under the Lee Jae-myung administration has been to disperse them throughout the year.
During this UFS period, a partial joint South Korea-US evaluation regarding capabilities and systems necessary for the wartime operational control (OPCON) transition will also be conducted.
In line with precedent, North Korea is expected to react sensitively, raising the possibility of armed demonstrations or other provocations.
North Korea issued a Foreign Ministry spokesperson statement on August 14, claiming that the exercise is "essentially a simulation of an aggressive war" and vowing that "our adversarial stance to thoroughly reject any threats and challenges through the resolute exercise of the right to self-defense will be expressed even more clearly."
North Korea also fired ballistic missiles toward the East Sea from the Wonsan area on two occasions, on August 6 and 12.
Meanwhile, the United States introduced details of this exercise while seemingly linking it to the containment of China within the Indo-Pacific beyond the Korean Peninsula, drawing attention to whether this reflects a shift in the nature of US Forces Korea.
In a press release issued on August 14 regarding participation in the UFS, the US Eighth Army stated, "This exercise includes rapid distribution and readiness procedures for Army Prepositioned Stock-4 (APS-4), demonstrating the alliance's capability to rapidly project combat power and secure key terrain within the First Island Chain."
The First Island Chain, connecting Okinawa, Taiwan, and the Philippines, is a strategic defensive line concept aimed at deterring China's expansion into the Pacific.
However, Ryan Donald, head of public affairs for US Forces Korea, responded during a briefing on August 10 when asked whether the exercise includes elements related to regional threats, stating that it is "to respond to the security threats faced by the Korean Peninsula."
(Photo: Yonhap News)
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