SEOUL — South Korea and the United States are set to commence a significant military drill this week, aimed at enhancing their combined defense capabilities against potential threats from North Korea, the Joint Chiefs of Staff announced.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the annual Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise, which simulates an all-out war scenario, will run from August 19-29. This includes a main computer simulation-based command post exercise, concurrent field training, and civil defense drills. The exercises are designed to bolster the ROK-U.S. alliance’s ability to respond to any provocations and defend against North Korea’s weapons of mass destruction across multiple domains including land, sea, air, cyber, and space.
This year’s drills reflect a comprehensive approach to potential threats, incorporating the lessons learned from recent global conflicts and increased provocations from North Korea, which has launched 37 ballistic missiles this year. The exercise will also address threats like GPS jamming and cyberattacks, with the field training events increasing to 48, up from 38 last year, and brigade-level exercises growing to 17 from four.
North Korea has responded to the drills with strong rhetoric, condemning the exercises as aggressive war rehearsals. The Korean Central News Agency quoted the Institute for American Studies of the North Korean foreign ministry, which criticized the Ulchi exercise as the most offensive and provocative war drills in the world, asserting their commitment to bolster defense capabilities and alter the regional security landscape in favor of North Korea.
Amid these heightened tensions, JCS Chairman Adm. Kim Myung-soo has instructed forces to retaliate immediately to any provocations, noting the likelihood of North Korea using the exercises as a pretext for further provocations.