US-ROK Joint Exercises to be Held from 8th to 18th... Scale Reduced, No Outdoor Maneuver Training

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Chun-han] The first half of this year's Korea-US combined command post exercise will be conducted from the 8th for a period of 9 days. Due to COVID-19, the scale of the exercise has been reduced, and no outdoor maneuver training will be conducted.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff announced on the 7th, "Considering various circumstances such as the COVID-19 situation, maintaining combat readiness, and supporting diplomatic efforts for denuclearization and peace settlement on the Korean Peninsula, the first half combined command post exercise will be conducted for 9 days starting from March 8."

The exercise will begin on the 8th and end on the 18th. The verification of Full Operational Capability (FOC) of the future Combined Forces Command, which is a key part of the wartime operational control (OPCON) transfer process, will not be conducted during this exercise. It is known that the FOC verification will be discussed to be conducted during the combined exercise in the second half of the year.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff explained, "In preparation for the upcoming FOC verification, a theater-level operational rehearsal led by the future Combined Forces Command, commanded by a four-star general of the Republic of Korea Army, will be partially included and conducted," adding, "This will achieve substantial progress in the OPCON transfer." They further stated, "This exercise is an annual defensive command post exercise utilizing computer simulations."

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