Joint Chiefs of Staff Cpt. Jang Do-young, left, speaks alongside U.S. Forces Korea Col. Ryan Donald during a joint press briefing on the Freedom Shield 2026 combined exercise at the Ministry of National Defense in Seoul, Feb. 25. Joint Press Corps
South Korea and the United States will begin a major combined military exercise next week, their militaries said Monday, as they are in preparations for Seoul's retaking of wartime command from Washington.
The annual Ulchi Freedom Shield (UFS) exercise will take place from Aug. 17-27, in a bid to bolster their joint defense readiness, drills widely viewed as contingency training against North Korea.
The UFS will be held by incorporating "realistic" threats, and to "further strengthen the allies' readiness and capabilities through combined, joint, all-domain operations," the allies' militaries said in a joint statement.
South Korea and the U.S. hold two large-scale combined exercises every year, the Freedom Shield (FS) in spring and the UFS in summer.
