South Korea Begins Largest Military Drills With US Amid North Korea’s Provocations
The United States and South Korea on Aug. 22 began their largest combined military exercises to bolster a deterrence posture after years of downsizing their annual drills to make room for diplomacy with North Korea and also because of COVID-19 concerns.
The drills, known as Ulchi Freedom Shield (UFS), will last until Sept. 1, and include a computer-simulation command post exercise, field training, and civil defense drills, Yonhap News Agency reported.
The two allies aim to stage 13 combined field training programs throughout the UFS, according to the report. South Korea’s Defense Ministry said last month that the drills aim to deter “North Korea’s provocations.”…