South Korea, US to hold Ulchi Freedom Shield from Aug. 17–27 in key test for wartime command transfer

South Korea and the United States will conduct the Ulchi Freedom Shield (UFS) exercise from Monday through Aug. 27 — an 11-day drill aimed at strengthening combined defense readiness and advancing preparations for the transfer of wartime operational control. The exercise is defensive in nature and incorporates lessons from recent training assessments. It is expected to effectively complete verification of the Future Combined Forces Command's full operational capability (FOC).

South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff and the CFC announced Monday the schedule for this year's UFS, describing it as "a defensive exercise conducted annually by South Korea and the United States."

During the exercise, the two sides plan to support wartime-preparedness drills and practical training by government ministries to bolster national emergency readiness and protect civilian lives and safety, enhancing the country's pan-government capacity to wage a total national defense effort. The allied training exercise Warrior Shield, linked to the UFS scenario, will also be conducted simultaneously to sharpen combat realism and battle readiness.

This year's UFS will proceed in three phases — a crisis management exercise (CMX), a first main exercise and a second main exercise. About 18,000 South Korean troops and roughly 5,000 US troops are expected to participate, a scale similar to last year.

However, combined field training exercises (FTX) during the period will be consolidated at the battalion level or above and reduced to 14, down from last year. During last year's UFS, combined FTX at the battalion level or above numbered 17, with a total of 22 conducted at the company level or above.

Under the previous Yoon Suk Yeol administration, combined FTX were concentrated during the Freedom Shield and UFS periods, but under the Lee Jae Myung administration the exercises have been distributed throughout the year.

On this, a JCS official said the two allies are "consolidating combined field training exercises at the battalion level or above and conducting them in a balanced manner throughout the year to maintain and enhance combined defense readiness at all times."

The official added that "to that end, combined field training exercises have been closely coordinated between South Korea and the United States from the planning stage, and will focus on essential training linked to the exercise scenario."

The UN Command plans to include UNC member nations in the exercise, while the Neutral Nations Supervisory Commission will observe compliance with the Armistice Agreement.

A UNC official said that "member-nation participation in this year's UFS will be at a level similar to previous years, with 12 member nations, including the United States, sending additional personnel to take part in the exercise."

The official went on to say that "they consist of civilian and military representatives who will carry out their duties alongside existing UNC personnel throughout the exercise," adding that "particularly in the cyber and intelligence domains, the specialized capabilities of member nations are enhancing the UNC's role in coordinating more advanced multinational combined operations."

The exercise is also regarded as a critical milestone in the evaluation and verification process for the operational control transfer.

Through the command post exercise during this year's UFS, the two allies plan to effectively complete the second-phase FOC verification of the Future Combined Forces Command and report the results to the commanders in chief of both nations' armed forces.

The government is pursuing a plan to formally secure approval of the FOC verification and announce the so-called "X-year" — the target year for the operational control transfer — at the 58th Security Consultative Meeting (SCM), scheduled to be held in Washington, D.C., in October.

However, an exercise led by the Future Combined Forces Command under a Korean four-star general is not expected to take place during this year's UFS either.

For the duration of the exercise, Gen. Xavier Brunson will serve as combined forces commander throughout, in keeping with the current CFC structure.

The US side is reported to have shown resistance to conducting a Future Combined Forces Command-led exercise, leading some analysts to interpret the FOC verification as falling short of fully concluding the FOC assessment itself during this drill.