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2h ago

U.S., South Korea Launch Freedom Shield 2026 With Scaled-Back Field Drills

The exercise functions as an OPCON readiness check featuring integrated space operations.

U.S. military vehicles are parked at a U.S. base in Dongducheon, north of Seoul, as the allies kick off an annual springtime exercise on March 5, 2026. (Yonhap)
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This file photo, uploaded on the Pentagon's Defense Visual Information Distribution Service, shows South Korean Army's 5th Engineer Brigade and its K1A2 tank crossing a U.S. Army Improved Ribbon Brigade during a joint wet gap training as part of the Freedom Shield exercise on March 20, 2025. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

Overview

  • The 11‑day drills run March 9–19 with roughly 18,000 participants and 22 planned field events, down from 51 last year.
  • Allied commanders are using the exercise to assess conditions for a transfer of wartime operational control to Seoul.
  • U.S. Space Forces–Korea activated a dedicated space component, including a round‑the‑clock commercial data cell and surge staffing to rehearse full‑spectrum space operations.
  • Air and ground forces are conducting combined command‑post simulations alongside live activities, with Seventh Air Force and ROKAF forming a Combined Air Component Command.
  • Local reports suggest possible U.S. asset shifts to the Middle East, which officials did not confirm, as the drills proceed on schedule with U.N. Command partners participating and NNSC oversight.