Will South Korea-U.S. Combined Exercises Shift to Year-Round Training?

Brunson: "Discussed Training Methods with Chairman Jin Youngseung"
Aim to Develop Countermeasures Against North Korean Forces' Drone Tactics, Including Those Learned Through Deployment

South Korea and the United States are expected to begin discussions on shifting their combined exercises to a year-round training model. U.S. Forces Korea Commander Xavier Brunson believes the allies need to move away from combined exercises centered on large-scale command post drills and conduct distributed training across the Korean Peninsula. The South Korean military also considers this necessary for the transfer of wartime operational control.

At a special luncheon hosted by the American Chamber of Commerce in Korea (AMCHAM) at the Mondrian Seoul Itaewon in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, on October 21, Commander Brunson said, "This week, I met with Chairman Jin Young-seung to discuss how we will train during the upcoming Freedom Shield (FS) exercise. What we recognized in that process is that we should not rely on just two major exercises each year to maintain our readiness."

South Korea and the United States conduct Freedom Shield (FS) in the first half of the year and Ulchi Freedom Shield (UFS) in the second half. Their exercises have focused on large-scale command post drills. Going forward, the allies will need to reduce the exposure of troops and equipment and improve mobility to counter North Korean forces, which are gaining combat experience in the war in Ukraine. In particular, the focus is expected to be on distributing troops and command functions across multiple locations and moving them to reduce the risk of becoming targets.

If South Korea and the United States shift to year-round training, one option under discussion is holding additional exercises between the major annual drills. Without mobilizing actual troops, officials could travel by helicopter to assess how forces could move around South Korea in an emergency. They could also train to counter tactics used by North Korean forces to gain experience through combat. The U.S. Eighth Army is also developing training and tactics in response to drone threats observed in Ukraine and the Middle East.

A military official said, "If the South Korean and U.S. commands agree to discuss year-round training, working-level meetings are expected to take place by the end of this year."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.