(VOVWORLD) - South Korea and the US are set to kick off major combined military drills next week as the allies seek to bolster joint readiness against evolving military threats from North Korea, according to Yonhap News Agency.
 US Apache helicopters are seen at Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, 60 kilometers south of Seoul, on August 14, 2023, ahead of the combined Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise set to take place from August 21 to 31. (Photo: Yonhap News) |
The annual Ulchi Freedom Shield (UFS) exercise, based on an all-out war scenario, is set to take place from Monday to August 31, featuring various contingency drills, such as the computer simulation-based command post exercise, concurrent field training and Ulchi civil defense drills.
Some 30 allied field training events are scheduled to take place during the exercise period, compared with 25 during this year's springtime UFS exercise and 13 in last year's UFS, according to a Joint Chiefs of Staff official.
This year's UFS is known to include scenarios to train troops to swiftly transition into wartime.
In addition to the allies' Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine personnel, US space forces will also partake in the drills, according to the US Forces Korea (USFK).
Aside from South Korean and US participants, personnel from nine member countries of the UN Command will join the exercise. The countries are Australia, Canada, France, Britain, Greece, Italy, New Zealand, the Philippines, and Thailand, according to the USFK.