Seoul 1st, September : South Korea and the US are scheduled to conclude an important joint military exercise tomorrow, Seoul officials said.Allies have been carrying out the Ulchi Freedom Shield (UFS) exercise, which began on the 22nd of August, despite North Korean state media berating the annual drills as a preparation to fight the solitary regime, according to Yonhap News agency.
The exercise comprised more than a dozen field-training activities in accordance with the conservatism of Yoon Suk-yeol administration’s pledge to “normalising” drills that were reduced or stopped under the previous Moon Jae-in administration’s efforts to promote peace.
Based on an all-out-war concept the exercise consisted of three essential elementsthe computer-simulation command-post exercises, field training, and the South Korean government’s Ulchi civil defense drills
The exercise took place in two major sections The first which included exercises on the defense against North Korean attacks and defending the greater Seoul area, with the second part that focused on counterattacks.
Gen.Ahn Byung-Seokwho is the deputy commander of the South Korea-US Combined Forces Command directed the entire exercise in order to conduct a critical assessment of the capabilities required for the planned transfer of operational control during wartime (OPCON) to Seoul from Washington.
The complete assessment of operational capability is the second phase of the three-stage plan to evaluate the South’s ability to command combined forces.
The program is one of many conditions that are required to complete the OPCON handover.
Through the entire exercise allies were on guard with fears that the North might engage in provocative acts, such as an nuclear test or missile launch, under the guise of taking action in response to the exercises.
