South Korea and the United States kicked off their combined annual springtime military exercise on Monday.
South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff(JCS) said on Sunday that the allies decided to hold the nine-day exercise from Monday in consideration of overall factors such as the COVID-19 situation and their combined readiness posture.
The computer-simulated Combined Command Post Training will run through April 28.
The allies conducted the four-day crisis management staff training last week as preliminary drills ahead of the major combined training.
The JCS said that the planned training will not involve any field troop maneuvers. It said the training will enhance the combined operational capabilities of South Korean and U.S. troops and will serve as an opportunity to strengthen the allies’ combined defense posture.
The training will be the allies’ last combined training under the Moon Jae-in government.
The two sides agreed to conduct a full operational capability(FOC) assessment this year during a security consultative meeting last December, but it is reportedly not included in the springtime exercise. The FOC assessment is required for the envisioned transfer of wartime operational control from the U.S. to South Korea, verifying that the South is ready to lead the allies’ combined forces.
Source: KBS World Radio