South Korea and the United States will begin a major combined military exercise next week, their militaries said on Monday, as they prepare for Seoul’s retaking of wartime operational control (Opcon) from Washington
The annual Ulchi Freedom Shield (UFS) exercise will take place from Aug. 17 to 27 to bolster their joint defense readiness, drills widely viewed as contingency training against North Korea
The UFS will incorporate “realistic” threats and be held to “further strengthen the allies’ readiness and capabilities through combined, joint, all-domain operations,” the two militaries said in a joint statement
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South Korea and the United States hold two large-scale combined exercises every year: the Freedom Shield in spring and the UFS in summer
The South’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said that the upcoming UFS exercise will “serve as an opportunity to support ongoing preparations for a conditions-based wartime [Opcon] transition.”
The UFS is regarded as a testing ground where the allies can evaluate South Korea’s capabilities to lead the combined forces once Seoul retakes wartime Opcon from Washington. The allies are in the second phase of a three-stage plan agreed upon by both sides for the Opcon handover
A local news outlet reported last week that this year’s UFS will not involve the South Korean deputy commander taking over the Combined Forces Command (CFC), currently led by the U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) commander
The report renewed speculation about U.S. reservations regarding the Opcon transfer following reports that the allies have differing opinions on the timing of the transition
South Korea is seeking to complete the Opcon transition before President Lee Jae Myung’s term ends in 2030 or even earlier, while the United States has stressed verifying the conditions first rather than rushing the process out of political considerations
“We are in close consultations with the U.S. side to periodically conduct combined exercises led by the future CFC, commanded by a South Korean four-star general, and will review the implementation timing following this year’s FOC validation,” the JCS said. The FOC refers to the second stage of the Opcon transfer evaluation
The USFK said that it has not received a request from South Korea regarding command responsibilities during this year’s UFS
The allies will also conduct field training exercises — dubbed the Warrior Shield, linked to the simulation-based exercise scenarios essential to the defense of South Korea — to enhance training realism and combat readiness, the JCS said
The allies reportedly plan to hold 14 such field training drills at the battalion level or higher, down from the 39 drills at the battalion or company level during the 2025 UFS
The JCS said that the allies are conducting essential field training exercises in a “balanced” manner through close bilateral coordination
The Lee administration has spread field training throughout the year in a departure from the previous conservative government, which held the drills extensively during the combined exercises
This shift is seen as an effort to ease tensions and preserve room for dialogue with Pyongyang
North Korea has denounced the exercises as war rehearsals and responded with its own weapons tests in a show of protest. The allies have maintained that the drills are strictly defensive in nature
Pyongyang launched what the South’s military has identified as a short-range ballistic missile on Friday in an apparent response to the upcoming UFS
The UFS will also incorporate “lessons learned from recent conflicts,” the JCS said, suggesting that the exercise will feature modern warfare scenarios from the Russia-Ukraine war and other regional clashes, including the Middle East conflict
Consistent with past drills, the UFS will also support interagency coordination across the South Korean government to strengthen national emergency readiness, protect public safety and advance a whole-of-government approach to wartime defense, the JCS said
The United Nations Command (UNC), which administers the Armistice Agreement that ended the 1950-53 Korean War, will send around 70 additional personnel from 12 of its 18 member states to participate in this year’s UFS, a UNC official said
UNC Deputy Commander Lt. Gen. Scott Winter said in a media roundtable last week that the UNC is interested in supporting the drills in new domains such as cyber and information
The Neutral Nations Supervisory Commission will observe the exercise to monitor compliance with the armistice agreement
