US-South Korea UFS26 to Start on August 17, 18,000 Participants, Training Reflecting Lessons from the Ukraine War on Counter-Drone and Electronic Warfare

On August 10, a joint press conference was held at the South Korean Ministry of Defense. Colonel Jang Do-young of the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff and Colonel Ryan Donald, the spokesperson for the U.S. Forces Korea, announced that this year's Ulchi Freedom Shield (UFS) will take place from August 17 to 27. Notably, Colonel Donald's words stood out.

"North Korean soldiers have fought in Ukraine and brought back lessons learned. This has changed their capabilities. Our training incorporates that threat."

18,000 Participants, Training Items Reflecting Lessons from the Ukraine War

This year's UFS will involve approximately 18,000 South Korean troops, maintaining a scale similar to last year. In addition to computer-assisted command post exercises, 14 integrated field training exercises (Warrior Shield) at the battalion level and above are planned. Training will include responses to drone attacks, GPS jamming, and cyberattacks, alongside emergency response training for government agencies. The three domains of unmanned aerial vehicles, electronic warfare, and cyber operations, which the North Korean military has experienced in real combat during the Ukraine war, are at the core of the assumptions. While previous UFS focused on large-scale maneuvers of artillery and armored units, this time the focus is on "how to fight under the loss of communication and navigation."

A Litmus Test for OPCON Transition and Participation of UN Forces

This UFS also serves as an evaluation of conditions for the transition of wartime operational control (OPCON). The South Korean military aims to complete the FOC verification at the upcoming U.S.-South Korea Security Consultative Meeting this fall, but the joint exercise commanded by a South Korean general has been postponed this time. The United Nations Command will send over 70 personnel from 12 countries to explore contributions in the information, cyber, and space domains.

North Korea's Counteractions and Information Sharing among Japan, the U.S., and South Korea

Just before the announcement, on August 6, North Korea launched one short-range ballistic missile (SRBM) towards the Sea of Japan from near Wonsan. This was the first launch in over 40 days since April 19, following criticism of Japan's defense enhancements and a suggestion of "additional military measures." The missile fell outside Japan's EEZ, but the functioning of information sharing among Japan, the U.S., and South Korea is noteworthy.

The Challenge is Sharing the Speed of Adaptation

In my view, the true challenge is not the scale of the exercises or the timeline for the OPCON transition. North Korea, having amended its constitution to remove the term "unification" and explicitly state "responsible nuclear power," is poised to combine the lessons learned from Ukraine with its nuclear and missile capabilities. The training items on counter-drone, GPS jamming, and cyber responses reflect this awareness, but as U.S. Forces Korea's troop strength is dispersed across East Asia, merely repeating the same exercises will not keep pace with the speed of adaptation. What Japan, the U.S., and South Korea should share is not the training items, but the very speed of threat assessment.