The South Korean Army will conduct a joint military exercise with the United States at the National Training Center (NTC) in California for approximately a month, from the 17th of this month to the 14th of next month.
According to military authorities, on the 4th, about 130 members of the 8th Division (Mechanized Unit) of the South Korean Army and soldiers from the 1st Division of the U.S. 2nd Division are planning to participate in the joint exercise at the U.S. NTC.
The NTC, located within Fort Irwin in the Mojave Desert of California, spans over 926 square miles, about four times the size of Seoul and 500 times the size of Yeouido.
The NTC has various training facilities, including mock urban areas and caves, and can conduct live-fire and tactical maneuver training.
The South Korean Army’s Science and Technology Combat Training Center (KCTC), established in Inje, Gangwon Province, in 2002 was modeled after the U.S. NTC.
The South Korean Army first participated in the U.S. NTC training in 2014, with a joint U.S.-Korea exercise conducted at the NTC once a year. This year marks the 8th training.
The South Korean Army has been sending 90 to 150 soldiers each year. Last year, for the first time, a mechanized infantry unit at the company level or higher participated.
The South Korean and U.S. military personnel participating in this training will conduct offensive and defensive tactical training, including live-fire maneuvering, followed by a post-training evaluation.
In particular, training with the U.S. military units scheduled around the Korean Peninsula is also planned.
A military official stated, “We expect our joint operation capabilities to be enhanced by expanding interoperability and sharing expertise on the execution of mechanized unit combat.”
North Korea, which has claimed that the U.S.-Korea joint exercises are a rehearsal for an invasion, may provoke military aggression in response not only to this exercise, but also to the South’s parliamentary elections on the 10th, Kim Il Sung’s birthday, “Day of the Sun” on the 15th, and the anniversary of the founding of the Korean People’s Revolutionary Army on the 25th.
North Korea claimed to have successfully test-fired a new medium to long-range hypersonic missile, the Hwasong-16 Na, on the 2nd. There is also a possibility that North Korea may launch additional military reconnaissance satellites soon.