South Korea’s top military officer on Thursday called for South Korean and U.S. troops to engage in “realistic” training as he inspected a joint exercise simulating combat against North Korean forces, his office said.
Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) Chairman Adm. Kim Myung-soo made the remark during his visit to the Korea Combat Training Center (KCTC) in Inje County, 126 kilometers northeast of Seoul, hosting joint drills between troops from the 1st Infantry Division and the U.S. Army’s 3rd Cavalry Regiment.
The training center utilizes the multiple integrated laser engagement system to simulate realistic ground combat, and operates a specialized unit modeled off North Korean forces that visiting troops face off against.
“The KCTC offers the only opportunity for realistic training without shedding blood against a professional opposition regiment applying the same organization structure and tactics as the North Korean military,” he was quoted as saying.
Kim also called on troops to perfect wartime readiness by
enhancing combined operational capabilities.
The visit took place in the wake of Pyongyang’s continued saber-rattling this year, including what it claimed to be a drill simulating a “nuclear counterattack” on April 22.
Source: Yonhap News Agency