Over 18,000 Troops Participate in 22 Field Maneuvers as South Korea and the U.S. Launch "Freedom Shield" Joint Military Exercises

[Global Times Correspondent in South Korea, Mang Jiuchen] The joint military exercise between South Korea and the United States, code-named "Freedom Shield," began on the 9th and will continue until the 19th. According to the Korea Herald, the simulated scenarios of this exercise incorporate lessons learned from analyzing recent forms of warfare and other substantial threats.

Reports indicate that as South Korea and the U.S. are accelerating the transfer of wartime operational command, this joint military exercise is expected to focus on assessing whether the conditions for the transfer have been met. Approximately 18,000 troops will participate in this exercise, which is roughly the same scale as last year. During the exercise, South Korea and the U.S. will conduct 22 field maneuver training sessions, less than half of last year's total (51 sessions). During the previous administration, South Korea and the U.S. primarily concentrated field maneuver training during the "Freedom Shield" exercise (in March) and the "Eulji Freedom Shield" (in August), but the current government prefers to implement this training throughout the year. Analysts believe that South Korea and the U.S. may have considered the opinion that "it is necessary to adjust the scale of the exercise to create conditions for the resumption of dialogue between North Korea and the U.S. before President Trump's visit to China," leading to a significant reduction in the number of field maneuver training sessions.

Additionally, according to a report by the Korea JoongAng Daily on the 9th, there are signs that the U.S. military stationed in South Korea may have redeployed its forces to the Middle East. According to real-time aviation tracking websites, since February 22, U.S. C-5 and C-17 transport aircraft have made multiple takeoffs and landings at the Osan Air Base in Gyeonggi Province. As of March 7, C-5 transport aircraft have taken off multiple times from Osan Air Base, while C-17 transport aircraft have taken off more than ten times. Most of these activities were concentrated after the U.S. launched airstrikes against Iran on February 28. At least two C-5 transport aircraft arrived at Osan Air Base in late February and left South Korea on February 28 and March 2, respectively. Experts state that the C-5 transport aircraft were headed to the U.S. military's forward base in the Middle East, specifically the Diego Garcia military base in the Indian Ocean.

Lee Il-woo (phonetic), director of the South Korean Defense Network Affairs Bureau, stated that F-16 fighter jets from the U.S. military stationed in Japan had previously been redeployed to Diego Garcia, and the U.S. has pre-deployed strategic bombers for airstrikes against Iran. Therefore, it is possible that the U.S. military stationed in South Korea may transfer the "Patriot" missile system to enhance air defense capabilities. Recently, some "Patriot" missile systems stationed at other U.S. military bases in South Korea, such as Pyeongtaek, will be moved to Osan Air Base.

According to the Korea JoongAng Daily, some C-17 transport aircraft that took off from Osan Air Base passed through the U.S. and Europe and appeared in the Mediterranean Sea near Egypt between the 6th and 8th. Experts believe that the U.S. may be transporting weapons such as the "Patriot" missile system and the "THAAD" missile defense system, which are owned by the U.S. military stationed in South Korea and the U.S. European Command, to the Middle East.