The Army said on the 14th it conducted a river-crossing drill along the Imjin River in Yeoncheon, Gyeonggi Province, as part of the Freedom Shield (FS) and Tiger combined South Korea-U.S. exercises.
About 700 South Korean and U.S. service members took part, including troops from the Capital Mechanized Infantry Division, the 7th Engineer Brigade, and a Stryker brigade under the U.S. 2nd Infantry Division/ROK-U.S. Combined Division. More than 200 maneuver, firepower, and engineer assets were deployed, including K1A2 tanks, K200A1 armored personnel carriers, the Korean amphibious assault bridge Suryong (KM3), K281 81 mm mortar carriers, and U.S. Stryker armored vehicles. The training focused on improving combined operations capabilities and interoperability.
In particular, a combined floating bridge integrating the Korean Suryong amphibious bridge system and the U.S. Improved Ribbon Bridge (IRB) was built for the first time.
The Army said the drill also incorporated tasks reflecting the current battlefield environment, including drone threats.
Key commanders, including ROK-U.S. Combined Forces Commander Xavier Brunson, ROK-U.S. Combined Forces Deputy Commander Kim Sung-min, and Eighth U.S. Army Commander Joseph Hilbert, checked the progress on site and encouraged the troops.