Will the ROK-US Joint Military Exercises Be Delayed Again?

It has been reported that South Korea and the United States will begin joint military exercises starting from the 5th. The photo shows a US 2nd Infantry Division M1A2 SEP tank crossing a pontoon bridge during the South Korea-US joint river crossing operation training held at the Hantan River in Yeoncheon-gun, Gyeonggi Province, in December 2015.

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter] The joint South Korea-U.S. military exercises scheduled for the first half of this year are expected to be postponed due to the COVID-19 situation and the presidential election.

According to a military official on the 13th, "The joint South Korea-U.S. exercises, which are usually held every March, are being considered to be conducted in April."

South Korea and the U.S. have conducted two large-scale regular joint exercises every March and August to check their combined defense posture against potential provocations from North Korea. However, due to the overlap of the COVID-19 pandemic and the presidential election scheduled for March 9, they are considering postponing the joint exercises to the following month.

Last year, South Korea and the U.S. held two joint command post exercises from March 8 to 18 and August 16 to 26. Considering the spread of COVID-19 at the time, the scale of the exercises was reduced, and the verification of the Future Combined Command’s Full Operational Capability (FOC), one of the conditions for the transfer of wartime operational control, was not conducted.

The consideration to postpone the joint South Korea-U.S. exercises also reflects the rapid spread of COVID-19 among U.S. Forces Korea personnel. According to the U.S. Forces Korea Command, from April 4 to 10, the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases among U.S. Forces Korea personnel increased by 1,599, breaking the previous weekly record of 682 cases, which was the largest since the pandemic began. The cumulative number of COVID-19 cases related to U.S. Forces Korea stands at 4,626, showing a high infection rate of about 16.5% based on the total force of approximately 28,000 personnel. This number exceeds the total cumulative confirmed cases in the South Korean military, which is around 3,500.

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