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| ▲ This photo shows an RC-12X Guardrail taking off at the U.S. Army base Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, 60 kilometers south of Seoul, on March 10, 2025, as South Korea and the United States kick off their joint annual military exercise, the Freedom Shield. (Yonhap) |
(2nd LD) S Korea-US-joint military drills
(2nd LD) S. Korea, U.S. to stage annual military exercise next month, still in consultation over field training
(ATTN: RECASTS, UPDATES throughout with briefing details)
By Kim Hyun-soo
SEOUL, Feb. 25 (Yonhap) -- The militaries of South Korea and the United States said Wednesday they will stage their annual joint springtime exercise next month to strengthen their combined defense posture, but they have yet to agree on details of related field training in a rare move.
The Freedom Shield (FS) exercise is scheduled to take place from March 9-19, involving the field training exercise dubbed "Warrior Shield," according to the South's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) and the U.S. Forces Korea (USFK).
The allies' militaries said the upcoming drills will help further strengthen the alliance's readiness and capabilities through combined, joint, all-domain operations.
"This exercise will also serve as an opportunity to support ongoing preparations for a condition-based wartime operational transition, consistent with alliance agreement," they said in a joint statement.
South Korea is seeking to achieve the "conditions-based" handover of wartime operational control (OPCON) from the U.S. within President Lee Jae Myung's five-year term that ends in 2030.
A JCS official explained some 18,000 troops are expected to take part in this year's FS exercise, a level on par with around 19,000 personnel last year.
But in a rare move, the allies announced the FS exercise plan without reaching an agreement over the scope of field training exercises that will be simultaneously carried out, only saying that they are still in consultation over Warrior Shield.
"The joint drills will be conducted as planned. The field training exercises during the FS period are being closely coordinated between South Korea and the U.S.," Capt. Jang Do-young, the JCS spokesperson said, stressing that the combined drills will be "spread out" to ensure a year-round readiness posture.
But the USFK stressed that the Freedom Shield and the Warrior Shield exercises will be carried out as planned next month.
"The important fact to remember is Freedom Shield and Warrior Shield will go on this March as a major defensive-oriented exercise," Col. Ryan Donald said.
Wednesday's announcement took place amid speculations that it could be postponed due to failure on both sides to settle differences over details of the field training exercises.
Though the allies are still in consultation, the field training exercises are likely to be scaled down this year amid South Korea's efforts to mend ties with North Korea.
"We cannot disclose plans for field trainings, including scope or frequency, as South Korea and the U.S. are still under close coordination on the field training exercises," a JCS official said, adding they hope to finalize talks before the FS exercise kicks off next month.
South Korea had proposed a plan to minimize field training during the FS period this year, but the U.S. reportedly expressed reservations toward Seoul's offer as part of its assets have already arrived on the ground.
Since taking office in June, the Lee administration has taken a series of steps to resume dialogue with North Korea, suspending loudspeaker broadcasts along the border and proposing holding military talks to clarify the Military Demarcation Line (MDL) to lessen tensions.
The allies put off nearly half of some 40 on-field drills during last year's annual Ulchi Freedom Shield (UFS) exercise last August until the year-end, in what appeared to be the Lee administration's reconciliatory overtures to Pyongyang.
South Korea is seeking to create conditions conducive to the resumption of possible dialogue between the U.S. and North Korea ahead of U.S. President Donald Trump's summit talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping in April.
North Korea has long denounced the Seoul-Washington combined military exercise as rehearsals for invasion, though the allies have said the drills are defensive in nature.
The South Korean and U.S. militaries conduct major combined drills each year featuring computer simulation-based command post exercises, holding the FS exercise in March and the UFS exercise in August.
Based on an all-out war scenario, these drills, which also include on-field training, serve as grounds to assess whether conditions for transfer of wartime OPCON have been met.
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