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| The US Conducts Military Exercises with South Korea |
International Military - Many military exercises are conducted by the US in the Indo-Pacific. Earlier this month, the US and Indonesia, along with several other countries, participated in the joint training event for the 2022 Super Garuda Shield and was successfully held in Indonesia.
Not long after carrying out the 2022 Super Garuda Shield, the US again carried out military exercises. As regional tensions escalate, the US and South Korea carry out joint military exercises. The military exercise conducted by the US and South Korea titled 'Ulchi Freedom Shield' on August 22.
The exercise will include field training for the first time in four years. According to Yonhap news agency, the military exercises will last until September 1 and will cover a wide range of agendas. The exercise agenda includes computer simulations for command posts, field training, and civil defense exercises.
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The drills follow the election of South Korean President Yoon in May and his determination to deter North Korea. Yoon said that the military and civilian drills aim to improve the country's readiness to match the changing patterns of war. With growing cyber threats to key facilities such as chip factories and supply chains.
North Korea has held six ballistic missile launches since September 2021. Last week, following the start of preliminary training for the US-South Korea drills, North Korea launched two cruise missiles from its west coast.
According to Seoul officials, North Korea has conducted several unprecedented missile tests this year. And ready to conduct a seventh nuclear test at any time. The sanctioned country also reportedly conducted a hypersonic missile test in January 2022.
With tensions steadily rising between the two Koreas, US F-35 stealth fighters arrived in South Korea this year on their first official visit since 2017 in ten days. South Korea has gone so far as to designate its estranged neighbor as an "enemy", as previously reported by the EurAsian Times.
While North Korea denounced the drills, its only ally in the region, China also felt the heat. A Chinese state media report Global Times said the biggest US-South Korean drills would increase tensions in the "Asia Pacific region."
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These joint US-led military exercises have more meaning and purpose as Sino-US relations become more antagonistic. Especially after US House of Representatives speaker Nancy Pelosi visited the island of Taiwan despite strong Chinese opposition, Lü Chao, an expert on the Korean Peninsula, told the Global Times.
The drills targeted North Korea, flexed US military power in the Asia-Pacific region, and deterred China. If chaos on the Korean Peninsula breaks out, it will also threaten China's national security. China will not stand still, Song Zhongping, a China military expert and TV commentator, told the Global Times.
The drills, which began Aug. 22, are reportedly the largest since 2017. The drills were previously scaled back due to COVID-19, and Yoon's predecessor sought to resume negotiations with Pyongyang, with the latter referring to these drills as practice for invasion.
According to Seoul's Defense Ministry, the allies will hold 11 field exercises this summer, including one involving thousands of troops at the brigade level.
The ministry announced that it would improve missile detection capabilities and seek early deployment of a new interceptor system to better withstand North Korea's expanding missile threat.
During the first part of the exercise, the armed forces of both countries will reportedly practice repelling potential North Korean attacks and securing major South Korean cities. The emphasis of the second part is on the mission to launch a counterattack.
During the field exercises, American and South Korean soldiers will train using a variety of real-world scenarios in 13 integrated training programs.