South Korea and the United States conducted a tabletop exercise (TTX) to jointly respond to North Korea’s threats, one month ahead of the first half of this year’s Freedom Shield (FS) joint exercise. Observers predict that the two allies will intensify training that assumes North Korea’s use of nuclear weapons through TTX and joint exercises.
According to South Korean and U.S. military authorities on Friday, the U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) and South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) conducted the Opening Gambit tabletop exercise at Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek from February 3 to 7.
USFK stated that the TTX, hosted by the Center for Naval Analyses, was designed to discuss bilateral crisis management and establish readiness for pre-crisis situations. The command emphasized that such exercises are the foundation for maintaining a strong posture to respond to any threat against the U.S.-South Korea alliance.
While this exercise’s specific details and objectives remain classified, sources indicate it is preparing for the upcoming Freedom Shield drills in March. According to a South Korean military source, a few JCS personnel participated in the TTX, and discussions related to the training took place.
The Defense Ministry announced that the two nations will conduct the Freedom Shield drills over ten days in mid-March. This will be preceded by a four-day crisis management exercise scheduled for later in February. The specific schedule for Freedom Shield will be officially announced on March 6.
The Freedom Shield exercise will focus on deterrence and crisis management through joint crisis response, command of theater operations, and wartime operational procedures within the South Korea-U.S. combined defense system. The exercise scenarios will reflect recent changes in the security environment.
Training is likely to include simulations of North Korea’s gray zone activities, drone provocations, various complex crisis scenarios, and nuclear use scenarios. The latest TTX is assessed as part of the preparation for these exercises.
Regarding this, South Korean Defense Ministry spokesperson Jeon Ha Gyu responded to a question during a regular briefing on Thursday about whether the Freedom Shield exercise would include training based on North Korea’s nuclear use scenarios. He stated, “The exercise scenarios are being closely coordinated between South Korea and the U.S. in advance, but they have not yet been finalized in detail.”
Recently, U.S. President Donald Trump referred to North Korea using the term “nuclear power,” which could be interpreted as acknowledging its nuclear-armed status. Some analysts suggest that this indicates Washington’s awareness of North Korea’s advanced nuclear capabilities.
A South Korean military source noted, “South Korea-U.S. cooperation in countering North Korea’s nuclear threats was strengthened under the Biden administration. Both countries’ military authorities agree to continue these efforts under the Trump administration.” The source added, “During this Freedom Shield exercise, a message emphasizing that nuclear use must not occur will be conveyed.”
In April, South Korea and the United States announced at the 24th Korea-U.S. Integrated Defense Dialogue (KIDD) that they planned to conduct TTX exercises incorporating North Korea’s nuclear use scenarios. This initiative resulted from the South Korea-U.S. Nuclear Consultative Group (NCG).
In December, the two countries planned to hold the fourth NCG meeting in Washington, D.C., along with the first NCG tabletop exercise, which would simulate a North Korean nuclear use scenario. However, the exercise was canceled due to the impact of emergency martial law. Although the fourth NCG meeting was eventually held in January 2025, the TTX was not conducted then either.
A South Korean military source stated, “It is highly likely that training on North Korea’s nuclear use scenarios will take place at the fifth NCG meeting and during the Freedom Shield exercise.” The source also mentioned, “Discussions will likely continue under the Trump administration on integrating U.S. nuclear forces with South Korea’s advanced conventional forces in a Combined Nuclear-Conventional Integration (CNI) approach and maintaining the alliance’s seamless extended deterrence.”