The 2025 Freedom Shield exercise officially commenced on Monday. Its purpose is to reinforce the South Korea-U.S. combined defense posture and counter evolving threats.
During the exercise period, until March 20, South Korean and U.S. forces will conduct various drills based on operational plans. In alignment with the exercise scenario, 16 combined field training exercises (FTX) will be carried out across all domains, including land, sea, air, cyber, and space.
North Korea’s evolving military strategies, tactics, and force posture—analyzed through Russia-North Korea military cooperation and recent global armed conflicts—have been incorporated into the scenario. The drills aim to enhance allied interoperability and demonstrate strengthened combined deterrence.
Approximately 19,000 South Korean military personnel are participating in the exercise. In addition, police, firefighters, and local governments are working alongside the military to bolster capabilities in protecting critical national and public infrastructure from threats.
Having completed thorough preparations, the South Korean military is fully engaged in the exercise.
The Army practices integrated protection of key national facilities and WMD elimination operations to enhance combat readiness. The Navy conducts comprehensive port defense and maritime WMD proliferation prevention drills to improve wartime operational capabilities.
The Air Force performs combined aerial operations and air control radar deployment exercises to maintain a flawless air defense posture. The Marine Corps is strengthening joint operational capabilities through exercises linked to the Korean Marine Exchange Program (KMEP) with the U.S. Marine Corps.
Various units launched realistic training exercises as part of the exercise on the first day.
The Army’s Comprehensive Supply Depot conducted a “Wartime Loss Replenishment Equipment Supply Drill.”
Soldiers and civilian personnel simulated a wartime scenario where frontline units suffered significant losses, quickly supplying tanks and artillery from prepositioned stockpiles to replace damaged equipment.
Upon receiving the order, depot personnel from the Prepositioned Equipment Management Unit rapidly secured and transported 155mm and 105mm towed artillery and M48 series tanks onto freight trains and trailer vehicles, testing their wartime logistics and resupply capabilities.
The 50th Infantry Division conducted a civil-military integrated defense drill at the Korea Gas Corporation Daegu-Gyeongbuk Regional Headquarters in Gyeongsan, North Gyeongsang Province.
The exercise, which simulated enemy infiltration, included participation from the Hwarang Brigade’s mobile company, the Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear (CBRN) Special Task Force (CRST), the Explosive Hazard Clearance Team (EHCT), police, and firefighters.
By coordinating military, government, and civilian forces, the division enhanced joint defense operations and counterterrorism capabilities for protecting key facilities.
The Air Defense and Control Command’s (ADCC) 8351st Unit also conducted a Mobile Long-Range Air Control Radar Deployment Operation.
This exercise focused on rapidly deploying radar, communication equipment, and operational materials to reinforce aerial surveillance capabilities if fixed radar units were disabled due to equipment failure or enemy shelling.
Comments0