Latest news with #USForcesKorea
Korea Herald
a day ago
- Politics
- Korea Herald
Some joint military exercises delayed to September amid heat, says JCS
South Korea and the United States will proceed with their annual Ulchi Freedom Shield joint military exercise as planned from Aug. 18-28, though about half of the associated field training exercises will be rescheduled to September due to extreme heat, the militaries of both nations said Thursday. Col. Lee Sung-jun, spokesperson for South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff, said that out of some 40 planned outdoor drills, around 20 will be moved to September. "In light of the extreme heat and the need to maintain a balanced readiness posture year-round, South Korea and the United States agreed to adjust some of the drills to September after close consultations," he said. He stressed that the rescheduling was not a reduction in scope, noting that most of the postponed drills involve battalion-level training, such as airfield defense, recovery and equipment maintenance exercises. The core components of UFS — including the computer-based command post exercise, field training exercises directly linked to the UFS scenario, and drills involving US augmentation forces — will proceed as originally scheduled. The adjustment comes amid growing expectations that the Lee Jae Myung administration may seek to soften military activities within the South Korea-US alliance. On July 28, Unification Minister Chung Dong-young said he would propose to President Lee that the combined exercise schedule be modified. A high-ranking Unification Ministry official who declined to be named also said, "A modification was made," ahead of the JCS briefing Thursday morning. "North Korea" was omitted from the official joint statement announcing the exercise, released on the same day. The JCS spokesperson, however, dismissed claims that the omission reflected a conciliatory approach toward Pyongyang on the part of the Lee Jae Myung administration, noting that terminology varies every year. "It was also omitted in the 2022 and 2024 statements. The wording is determined through mutual consultation between South Korea and the US," Lee said, noting that similar cases occurred during the conservative Yoon Suk Yeol administration. While drills to counter North Korea's missile threats will be held, scenarios involving the North's actual use of nuclear weapons are not part of this year's exercise, he added. US Forces Korea spokesperson Col. Ryan Donald emphasized that the quality of training is what matters most in building readiness. "We remain focused on our objectives, which are clear: to maintain peace and security on the Korean Peninsula, ensure our combined forces are ready to respond to a variety of threats — from hybrid and conventional to weapons of mass destruction — and address broader regional challenges," he said. The exercise will incorporate lessons from the modern battlefield, including drone, cyber and space threats, while also factoring in growing military cooperation between Russia and North Korea. About 18,000 South Korean troops will take part, similar to last year, along with US forces and United Nations Command members. The Neutral Nations Supervisory Commission will also monitor compliance with the armistice.
Arab Times
a day ago
- Politics
- Arab Times
S.Korea, US militaries will stage large-scale drills this month to address N.Korean threats
SEOUL, South Korea, Aug 7, (AP): South Korea and the United States will launch their annual large-scale military exercise this month to bolster readiness against North Korean threats, the allies said Thursday, in a move likely to irritate Pyongyang amid a prolonged stalemate in diplomacy. The exercise also comes against the backdrop of concerns in Seoul that the Trump administration could shake up the decades-old alliance by demanding higher payments for the US troop presence in South Korea and possibly move to reduce it as Washington puts more focus on China. Ulchi Freedom Shield, the second of two large-scale exercises held annually in South Korea, following another set of drills in March, typically involves thousands of troops in computer-simulated command post training and combined field exercises. The Aug. 18-28 exercise may trigger an angry reaction from North Korea, which calls the joint drills invasion rehearsals and often uses them as a pretext to dial up military demonstrations and weapons tests aimed at advancing its nuclear program. Doubling down on its nuclear ambitions, North Korea has repeatedly rejected Washington and Seoul's calls to resume diplomacy aimed at winding down its weapons program, which derailed in 2019. The North has now made Russia the priority of its foreign policy, sending thousands of troops and large amounts of military equipment to support Moscow's war in Ukraine. About 18,000 South Korean troops will take part in this year's Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff spokesperson, Col. Lee Sung Joon, said during a joint briefing with US Forces Korea, which did not disclose the number of participating US troops. Both Lee and S Forces Korea public affairs director Col. Ryan Donald downplayed speculation that South Korea's new liberal government, led by President Lee Jae Myung, sought to downsize the exercise to create momentum for dialogue with Pyongyang, saying its scale is similar to previous years. However, Col. Lee said about half of the exercise's originally planned 40 field training programs were postponed to September due to heat concerns.
The Independent
a day ago
- Politics
- The Independent
South Korea and America launch joint military drills to address threat of North Korea
South Korea and the United States are set to commence their annual large-scale military exercise this month, a move designed to bolster readiness against escalating North Korean threats. The joint drills are, however, likely to provoke an angry response from Pyongyang, further straining diplomatic efforts. Named Ulchi Freedom Shield, the exercise is scheduled to run from August 18 to 28. It represents the second major annual drill conducted in South Korea, following a similar set of manoeuvres in March. Typically, these exercises involve thousands of troops participating in both computer-simulated command post training and combined field exercises. North Korea consistently denounces such joint drills as rehearsals for invasion. Historically, Pyongyang has leveraged these exercises as a pretext to escalate military demonstrations and conduct weapons tests, all aimed at advancing its nuclear programme. Doubling down on its nuclear ambitions, North Korea has repeatedly rejected Washington and Seoul 's calls to resume diplomacy aimed at winding down its weapons program, which derailed in 2019. The North has now made Russia the priority of its foreign policy, sending thousands of troops and large amounts of military equipment to support Moscow 's war in Ukraine. About 18,000 South Korean troops will take part in this year's Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff spokesperson, Col. Lee Sung Joon, said during a joint briefing with U.S. Forces Korea, which did not disclose the number of participating U.S. troops. Both Col. Lee and U.S. Forces Korea public affairs director Col. Ryan Donald downplayed speculation that South Korea's new liberal government, led by President Lee Jae Myung, sought to downsize the exercise to create momentum for dialogue with Pyongyang, saying its scale is similar to previous years. However, Col. Lee said about half of the exercise's originally planned 40 field training programs were postponed to September due to heat concerns. The threat posed by North Korea's growing nuclear and missile programs will be a key focus of the exercise, which will also incorporate lessons from recent conflicts, including Russia's war in Ukraine and the clash between Israel and Iran, Col. Lee and Col. Donald said. The exercise will also address threats from drones, GPS jamming and cyberattacks, they said.
South China Morning Post
2 days ago
- Politics
- South China Morning Post
Is Seoul delaying joint drills with US to avoid antagonising Pyongyang?
South Korea and the United States will delay half of their coming field exercises under their annual joint military drills this summer, in what analysts view as a calibrated gesture to reduce friction with North Korea while maintaining security readiness. The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) in Seoul and the United States Forces Korea (USFK) said on Thursday that the Ulchi Freedom Shield (UFS) exercises would run from August 18 to 28, but 20 of the 40 scheduled field training components would now be pushed to September and conducted in staggered fashion. The core command post exercises, conducted via computer simulations, will proceed as planned. About 18,000 South Korean troops and several thousand US personnel are expected to take part. 'The UFS '25 will be executed on a similar scale to the previous one,' said JCS spokesperson Colonel Lee Sung-jun. Colonel Lee Sung-jun (left) of South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff and Colonel Ryan Donald of US Forces Korea speak during a press briefing on Thursday. Photo: EPA-EFE Lee cited ongoing heatwaves as the primary reason for the field training postponement, but stressed that key training components under the UFS scenario – including the deployment of US strategic assets and personnel to the Korean peninsula – would proceed as scheduled.
Korea Herald
2 days ago
- Politics
- Korea Herald
Half of UFS field training rescheduled to September amid heat, says JCS
South Korea and the United States will proceed with their annual joint military exercise Ulchi Freedom Shield as planned from Aug. 18-28, though about half of the associated field training exercises will be rescheduled to September due to extreme heat, the militaries of both nations said Thursday. Col. Lee Sung-jun, spokesperson for South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff, said that out of some 40 planned outdoor drills, around 20 will be moved to September. "In light of the extreme heat and the need to maintain a balanced readiness posture year-round, South Korea and the United States agreed to adjust some of the drills to September after close consultations," he said. He stressed that the rescheduling was not a reduction in scope, noting that most of the postponed drills involve battalion-level training, such as airfield defense, recovery and equipment maintenance exercises. The core components of UFS — including the computer-based command post exercise, field training exercises directly linked to the UFS scenario, and drills involving US augmentation forces — will proceed as originally scheduled. The adjustment comes amid growing expectations that the Lee Jae Myung administration may seek to soften the tone of military activities within the South Korea-US alliance. On July 28, Unification Minister Chung Dong-young said he would propose to Lee that the combined exercise schedule be modified. The word "North Korea" was also omitted from the official joint statement announcing the exercise. A high-ranking official from the Unification Ministry who declined to be named said Thursday: "A modification was made." The JCS spokesperson, however, dismissed claims that the omission reflected a conciliatory approach toward Pyongyang on the part of the Lee Jae Myung administration, noting that terminology varies every year. "It was also omitted in the 2022 and 2024 statements. The wording is determined through mutual consultation between South Korea and the US," Lee said, noting that similar cases occurred during the conservative Yoon Suk Yeol administration. While drills to counter North Korea's missile threats will be held, scenarios involving the North's actual use of nuclear weapons are not part of this year's exercise, he added. US Forces Korea spokesperson Col. Ryan Donald emphasized that the quality of training is what matters most in building readiness. "We remain focused on our objectives, which are clear: to maintain peace and security on the Korean Peninsula, ensure our combined forces are ready to respond to a variety of threats — from hybrid and conventional to weapons of mass destruction — and address broader regional challenges," he said. The exercise will incorporate lessons from the modern battlefield, including drone, cyber and space threats, while also factoring in growing military cooperation between Russia and North Korea. About 18,000 South Korean troops will take part, similar to last year, along with US forces and United Nations Command members. The Neutral Nations Supervisory Commission will also monitor compliance with the armistice.
