US-South Korea Joint Military Exercises Scheduled for Mid-Next Month

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter] It has been reported that South Korea and the United States have settled on conducting the first half joint exercise in mid-next month. It has been tentatively decided to hold the 'Crisis Management Staff Training' (CMST), a preliminary exercise simulating wartime situations on the Korean Peninsula, from the 12th to the 15th of next month, and the first half joint command post exercise, which corresponds to the main exercise, is said to be conducted from the 18th to the 28th.

Martin Meiners, spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Defense, responded to a question from Radio Free Asia (RFA) on the 22nd, saying, "The scope, scale, and timing of the joint South Korea-U.S. exercise under review in mid-next month will be decided through mutual consultation with South Korea."

On the same day, spokesperson Meiners emphasized regarding Korean media reports that the joint South Korea-U.S. exercise will be held in mid-next month, saying, "Military readiness is the top priority of the U.S. Secretary of Defense," and "The scope, scale, and timing of the exercise will be decided bilaterally between South Korea and the U.S. considering these factors."

The U.S. Forces Korea refrained from making specific comments regarding North Korean propaganda media criticizing the joint South Korea-U.S. exercise.

However, Wesley Hayes, spokesperson for U.S. Forces Korea, replied in an email to Voice of America (VOA), "We maintain a high level of 'Fight Tonight' readiness and are capable of fulfilling our duty to protect and defend South Korea from any threats or adversaries."

North Korean propaganda media strongly opposed this, stating that "the risk of war has reached an extremely critical phase."