The Ulchi Freedom Shield (UFS), a joint military exercise between South Korea and the United States to establish a solid combined defense posture, will be officially conducted from August 19.
According to South Korean and U.S. military authorities, on August 12, this UFS will occur from August 19 to 29 and be divided into two parts. The first part, linked to a government exercise (Ulchi Exercise), will run from August 19 to 23, and the second part, conducted solely by the military, will be held from August 26 to 29.
Before this, from August 13 to 16, a pre-exercise crisis management exercise (CMX) will be conducted at the military level as a precursor to the UFS.
The South Korean and U.S. military authorities have decided to incorporate realistic threats into the UFS scenario, including North Korea’s increasing missile threats, GPS signal jamming, cyberattacks, and threats across land, sea, and air, as well as recent changes in warfare.
The South Korean military plans to enhance its capability for comprehensive national defense by supporting government agencies in their wartime preparedness exercises and actual training related to cyberattacks, terrorism response, and public safety.
During the first part of the exercise, which involves wartime preparedness training at the government level, a defensive drill will be conducted, assuming North Korea uses nuclear weapons. In this context, a North Korea Nuclear Response Citizen Protection Headquarters will operate under the Prime Minister’s leadership, with some of our military units supporting this training.
From July 30 to August 2, a nuclear-conventional integrated tabletop exercise (CNI TTX) called Iron Mace 2024 was conducted for the first time at Camp Humphreys, a U.S. military base in Pyeongtaek, South Korea. This exercise simulated North Korea’s use of nuclear weapons, with the U.S. nuclear forces and South Korea’s conventional forces jointly engaging in defense and counterattack.
During the second phase, joint outdoor maneuver exercises, including the Ssangyong combined amphibious exercise, will occur. This will involve live-action drills and shooting exercises across land, sea, and air domains. Additionally, multi-domain operations will be conducted, focusing on responses to North Korea’s weapons of mass destruction (WMD). U.S. strategic assets will also be deployed to the Korean Peninsula for joint training with local forces.
The strategic command and control headquarters, which will be established in October, will be organized during this UFS period. A final evaluation of mission execution capabilities is expected.
Member United Nations Command (UNC) states will participate in this UFS, and the Neutral Nations Supervisory Commission (NNSC) will observe compliance with the Armistice Agreement. However, Germany, which joined the UNC as a member state on August 2, will not participate in this UFS.
Meanwhile, South Korean and U.S. military authorities are closely monitoring the possibility of provocations from North Korea during the UFS, as North Korea has consistently claimed that these joint exercises are invasion war exercises. On May 16, North Korea threatened, stating that the UFS had already been called a nuclear attack exercise based on the current situation and its nature, urging consideration of disastrous consequences.
During last year’s UFS in August, North Korea conducted a full-scale military command exercise aimed at occupying the entire territory of the South on August 28, followed by a tactical nuclear attack exercise on August 30 and September 2.