US Hopes to Resume ROK-US Joint Military Exercises Once COVID-19 Subsides

Revealed in US Department of Defense Spokesperson Briefing

On the 13th of last month, U.S. military equipment was moving at a shooting range of a military unit in Pohang, Gyeongbuk.

The United States announced on the 10th (local time) that it hopes to resume some activities of the Korea-U.S. joint military exercises, which had been indefinitely postponed due to the impact of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19), once the situation calms down.

Jonathan Hoffman, spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Defense, said during a briefing that in response to questions about the impact of the indefinite postponement of the Korea-U.S. joint exercises, "As a result, (U.S.) forces and the South Korean military have withdrawn from some drills and some activities," adding, "However, we hope to be able to resume some of these activities once the virus passes and the weather becomes warmer."

This statement from the U.S. Department of Defense came amid rising tensions as North Korea recently launched a series of super-large multiple rocket launchers.

Spokesperson Hoffman said, "Based on COVID-19, our current assessment is that we have not yet seen any dramatic reduction in the readiness or capability of our forces."

U.S. Navy Rear Admiral William Byrne, Deputy Chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, also said, "The canceled or postponed exercises were large-scale troop drills," adding, "Daily readiness-related Korea-U.S. joint training at the company and small unit levels continues." He emphasized, "We are maximizing every opportunity to maintain our readiness."

Additionally, Deputy Chairman Byrne explained in response to a question about whether regular U.S. troop deployments to South Korea might be affected, "We review the issue of personnel movement in and out every day," and "Especially with the summer movement season approaching soon, we are reaching agreements across departments regarding personnel movement." This appears to refer to issues related to the rotation of U.S. forces in South Korea due to the impact of COVID-19, making the final conclusion noteworthy.

However, he added that a policy across all departments has not yet been decided. This suggests that decisions regarding the rotation of U.S. forces in South Korea due to the impact of COVID-19 have not yet been made. Spokesperson Hoffman mentioned that the U.S. Army has imposed movement restrictions on cases involving travel to or from South Korea and Italy, stating, "Movement itself can put people at risk. Therefore, we want to restrict all of this," indicating that related discussions are ongoing.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.