U.S., South Korea conclude Freedom Shield drills amid North Korea tensionsnewsline24

SEOUL, March 19 (UPI) — The United States and South Korea on Thursday concluded their annual Freedom Shield joint military exercise, reaffirming their combined defense posture after days of heightened tensions marked by North Korean missile launches and threats.

The 11-day exercise, which ran from March 9 to 19, was designed to strengthen the allies’ readiness against “complex security threats” and enhance operations across land, sea, air, cyber and space domains, the two militaries said in a joint statement.

“Freedom Shield 26 demonstrates the strength of our alliance and our ability to train, build readiness, and operate seamlessly as one force,” Gen. Xavier Brunson, commander of U.S. Forces Korea, said.

North Korea fired about 10 ballistic missiles toward the East Sea on Saturday during the exercise, South Korean military officials said, while also issuing sharp warnings condemning the drills. Pyongyang later said the launches were part of a firepower strike drill involving 600mm multiple rocket launchers overseen by leader Kim Jong Un.

Kim also observed the test-firing of strategic cruise missiles from a naval destroyer last week.

North Korea has long denounced the allies’ joint exercises as rehearsals for invasion. Earlier this month, Kim Yo Jong, the influential sister of the North’s leader, warned of “unimaginably terrible consequences” in response to the drills.

This year’s exercise incorporated lessons from recent conflicts and placed particular emphasis on assessing conditions for the transfer of wartime operational control from Washington to Seoul — a long-sought goal that the administration of President Lee Jae Myung aims to complete before the end of his five-year term in 2030.

“The FS exercise served as an occasion to strengthen our military’s capabilities for the transition of wartime command,” Joint Chiefs of Staff spokesman Capt. Jang Do-young said at a regular briefing.

A total of 17 of 22 planned field training exercises were completed during the Freedom Shield period, with the remainder scheduled to conclude next week, Jang said.

The drills unfolded as the Lee administration has sought to ease tensions and pursue dialogue with Pyongyang, including by reducing or redistributing field training exercises throughout the year. The number of such exercises was cut from 51 in last year’s iteration under the previous administration.

Despite the outreach, North Korea has continued weapons testing while expanding its military cooperation with Russia.

The allies emphasized that Freedom Shield remains a defensive exercise conducted under the bilateral mutual defense treaty and in accordance with the Korean War armistice, adding that participation by United Nations Command member states underscored international support for stability in the region.