U.S. military squadron in Alaska joins live-fire drills in S. Korea

▲ South Korean and U.S. troops pose for a photo after completing a combined arms live-fire exercise at Rodriguez Live Fire Complex in Pocheon, about 30 kilometers south of the Demilitarized Zone separating the two Koreas, on March 24, 2026, in this photo provided by the U.S. Army. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

S Korea-US-military drills

U.S. military squadron in Alaska joins live-fire drills in S. Korea

SEOUL, March 31 (Yonhap) -- A U.S. military squadron stationed in Alaska has joined live-fire drills with the South Korean military, according to the U.S. Eighth Army on Tuesday.

The joint drills, held at the Yeongpyeong Training Area, were a "clear signal" of the U.S. commitment to the alliance with South Korea, the U.S. military said on its website.

The drills involved "paratroopers from the 1st Squadron, 40th Cavalry Regiment, 11th Airborne Division," it said.

"It serves as a prime example of the U.S. Army's Transformation Initiative in action, delivering optimized warfighting capabilities to ensure a lethal and ready force," it said.

"The squadron's deployment from Alaska to the Korean Peninsula highlights a force not bound by distance," it said.

"This is a place we don't often get access to," Lt. Col. Craig Nelson, the battalion commander of 1-40 CAV, told the U.S. military. "We spend a lot of time specializing in Arctic warfare in interior Alaska. But the truth is, we need to be able to go anywhere, and we've got a lot we can learn from our allies here too.

"This exercise validates the U.S. Army's ability to rapidly deploy combat-credible forces from the Arctic to anywhere in the Indo-Pacific, prepared to fight and win alongside our allies in any environment. It proves we are ready, anywhere and anytime," according to the Eighth Army's website.

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