The military authorities noted on the 20th that they reconfirmed the combined defense posture through the Korea-U.S. joint exercise 'Freedom Shield' (FS) for the defense of the Korean Peninsula.
According to the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS), this year's FS exercise, which began on the 10th, concluded on this day. The JCS and the Korea-U.S. Combined Forces Command operated a joint control group, and 51 combined outdoor maneuver exercises were conducted with the participation of troops from multiple member countries of the United Nations Command (UNC). A JCS official explained, 'The FS exercise enhanced interoperability between the Korea-U.S. alliance.'
During this exercise, South Korea and the U.S. reflected realistic threats in the scenarios derived from analyzing military cooperation between North Korea and Russia, the North Korean army's strategies and tactics, and changes in military capabilities. The exercises took place not only in traditional battlefield domains such as land, sea, and air but also in various areas including space, cyber, and electromagnetic domains. The JCS explained that the combined operational capability of the Korea-U.S. alliance has progressed to a new level.
The FS exercise included training to respond to visual information that North Korea might intentionally disseminate, given the increasing significance of countering misinformation in recent international conflicts. Additionally, the Strategic Command, which was established in October last year, and the Maneuver Fleet Command, established in February this year, participated in the FS exercise for the first time. The JCS assessed that the Strategic Command improved its strategic deterrence and response capabilities regarding North Korean nuclear threats.
A total of 238 integrated defense drills were conducted during the FS period. Integrated defense exercises involve participation from military, civil, and public safety sectors. Considering North Korea's provocation patterns, drills were held simulating terrorist attacks on national critical infrastructures such as nuclear power plants and ports, as well as explosions and fires in multi-use facilities due to unidentified drones.
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Kim Myung-soo said, 'We discussed the implications of the military cooperation between Russia and North Korea on the security of the Korean Peninsula with the Combined Forces Commander and explored cooperation plans between South Korea and the U.S.' He added, 'We will maintain a firm readiness posture to ensure stability and peace on the Korean Peninsula.'
North Korea, which reacts sensitively to the Korea-U.S. joint exercises, fired missiles and issued a denunciation statement early in the FS period but has since maintained silence. On the morning of the 10th, when the FS exercise began, North Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs released a statement criticizing it as 'provocative acts that escalate the situation on the Korean Peninsula beyond the extreme,' and later in the afternoon, multiple short-range ballistic missiles were fired, raising tensions.
However, after the state-run Korean Central News Agency published a commentary on the 12th calling the exercises 'highly dangerous U.S.-South Korea joint military drills,' there have been no significant mentions related to FS, nor any displays of military power.