Formation of a US Army Battalion within a Korean Army Brigade
The South Korean and U.S. armies conducted a large-scale scientific combat training exercise in conjunction with the ROK-U.S. joint exercise "Freedom Shield (FS)."
On the 20th, the Army announced that for the first time, a U.S. battalion-level unit participated in the ROK-U.S. joint KCTC training at the Army Scientific Combat Training Center (KCTC) in Inje-gun, Gangwon Province. The combat unit, centered on the Army's 21st Division Baekseoksan Brigade, was organized with one battalion from the U.S. 2nd Infantry Division stationed in Korea and a Stryker brigade under the ROK-U.S. Combined Division. Previously, only company-level or smaller U.S. units had participated in KCTC training, making this the first time a battalion-level unit took part.
The Army explained that the existing KCTC training, which was conducted continuously for four days without sleep, was extended this time by conducting offensive and defensive operations for three days each without sleep, thereby enhancing realism. Additionally, various advanced forces were deployed in the training, including the Army's cutting-edge Army TIGER demonstration brigade combat team’s wheeled armored vehicles and reconnaissance drones, corps special forces teams, U.S. Stryker armored vehicles, and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).
Captain Kwon Jong-gyu, who participated in the training, said, "Through tactical communication with the Stryker brigade, we were able to enhance the interoperability of combined forces," while Sergeant Kim Jun-sung expressed, "I will do my best in training with pride and confidence as the core of frontline combat power."
A U.S. Army official stated, "It was a valuable opportunity to experience the mountainous terrain of the Korean Peninsula and share ROK-U.S. tactics," adding, "We gained confidence in being able to fight and win anytime and anywhere by establishing a stronger combat readiness posture."
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