The annual South Korea–U.S. combined exercise Freedom Shield (FS) wrapped up on the 19th.

According to the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) and the ROK-U.S. Combined Forces Command, the Freedom Shield exercise that began on the 9th focused on enhancing realism by incorporating training drawn from recent conflicts into its scenarios. It was carried out with an emphasis on checking the readiness to conduct combined operations. The JCS and the Combined Forces Command said it served as an important milestone in preparing for a conditions-based transfer of wartime operational control (OPCON) between South Korea and the United States, in line with their agreement.

U.S. troops in Korea watch a Stryker armored vehicle cross a pontoon bridge during a South Korea–U.S. combined river-crossing drill on the Imjin River in Yeoncheon County, Gyeonggi Province, on the 14th. The exercise is part of the South Korea–U.S. combined training Freedom Shield (FS), with the U.S. 2nd Infantry Division/ROK-U.S. Combined Division, the ROK Army Capital Mechanized Infantry Division, and the 7th Engineer Brigade participating. /Courtesy of Yonhap News

Through a joint press release, the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) and the Combined Forces Command said, "During the Freedom Shield exercise, the South Korea-U.S. alliance focused on honing the ability to respond quickly and effectively to complex security threats," and added, "Under the Combined Forces Command, commanders and staff organically integrated capabilities and further strengthened combined operational execution across all domains—land, sea, air, space, and cyber."

In this exercise, which saw the participation of about 18,000 people, U.S. Forces Korea publicly revealed for the first time the operation of the Indirect Fire Protection Capability (IFPC), the latest air defense system dubbed the "U.S. Iron Dome." Designed to counter drones and low-altitude threats, it was first deployed to U.S. Forces Korea in September last year and is known to be the first such deployment at an overseas U.S. military base.

Large-scale field training exercises (FTX) were also conducted across the Korean Peninsula. However, during this year's exercise, a total of 22 FTX events were conducted, reduced to less than half compared with 51 during the FS exercise in March last year. South Korea and the United States plan to continue various linked FTXs through the 27th.

During the exercise, senior South Korea-U.S. military leaders visited command posts and training sites to check the exercise situation and encourage service members. Xavier Brunson, the Combined Forces commander and U.S. Forces Korea commander, said, "From the competition phase to crisis and conflict, there is no alliance that trains like this with peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and in Northeast Asia in mind," adding, "Nothing can replace training, and there is no excuse for a lack of readiness."

Meanwhile, North Korea also denounced the exercise as a "nuclear war drill" and staged shows of force. On the 11th, with Kim Jong-un, chairman of the State Affairs Commission, in attendance, it test-fired strategic cruise missiles from the new 5,000-ton destroyer Choe Hyon-ho. On the 14th, it fired 600 mm ultra-precision multiple rocket launchers into the East Sea.

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