South Korea-US UFS Exercise Downscales Field Training, While Russia Announces Large-Scale Drills

[Anchor]

The joint military exercise between South Korea and the United States, Ulchi Freedom Shield, is set to begin on the 17th. While the exercise is reportedly conducted with the transition of wartime operational control in mind, there are no substantive drills led by the South Korean military, and actual field maneuvers have 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 Tae-hoon.

[Reporter]

The South Korean and U.S. military authorities announced that this year's second-half joint exercise, Ulchi Freedom Shield (UFS), will run from the 17th to the 27th. They stated that the exercise was planned by reflecting recent warfare situations and the schedule for the transition of wartime operational control (OPCON).

[Ryan Donald / USFK Director of Public Affairs: This exercise will serve as an opportunity to support ongoing preparations for the conditions-based transition of wartime operational control.]

However, experts analyze that accelerating the OPCON transition requires South Korea-led exercises where a South Korean commander directs the drills, but the upcoming UFS will be led by the U.S. military.

In addition, battalion-level or higher field training involving actual troops and equipment is reportedly being reduced from 17 cases last year to 14 this year.

The South Korean military maintains that there is no problem as training is distributed throughout the year.

[Jang Doyoung / Joint Chiefs of Staff Public Affairs Director: We are conducting combined field maneuvers at the battalion level or higher in an integrated and balanced manner 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, have not been reflected in the UFS.

While the UFS is being conducted on a somewhat reduced scale, the Russian Pacific Fleet will concurrently stage large-scale drills in the East Sea, mobilizing some 60 warships, over 30 aircraft, and roughly 13,000 troops.

The Russian Ministry of Defense stated that these exercises began on the 4th and will continue for several weeks.

Russian media outlets reported that mainstays of Russia's Far Eastern forces, including nuclear submarines and strategic bombers, will conduct joint exercises in the East Sea and the Sea of Okhotsk, alongside "coastal defense drills" utilizing hypersonic anti-ship missiles.

(Photo: Yonhap News)
(Video Reported by Kim Hyun-sang | Video Edited by Jeong Sunghoon)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.