[Yang Nak-gyu's Defence Club] Starting Today: ROK-US Joint Military Exercises... 3 Key Points to Watch

Participation of US Space Force Instead of New Operational Plan Application
Training Scenarios Include Cyber and Space Warfare
Significant Enhancement of Reduced Combined Field Training Exercises

As of midnight on the 21st, South Korea and the United States began the joint exercise ‘Ulchi Freedom Shield’ (UFS). This exercise marks the first participation of the U.S. Space Force and a significant enhancement of the joint field maneuver exercises, which had been scaled down since 2019.

Following the crisis management exercise (CMX) held from the 16th to the 18th as a preliminary drill, the main exercise commenced on this day and is planned to be conducted in two phases: Part 1 (21st?25th) and Part 2 (28th?31st).

[Image source=Yonhap News]

South Korea and the U.S. had planned to apply ‘Operation Plan (OPLAN) 2022’ to counter North Korea’s nuclear and missile threats during this exercise, but it was not utilized as the plan was not yet finalized. The Joint Chiefs of Staff Operations Headquarters expects that after analyzing the missions of each South Korean and U.S. unit and completing the OPLAN formulation report by December, ‘OPLAN 2022’ will be applied in joint exercises starting next year.

The U.S. Space Force is participating in this joint exercise for the first time in a theater-level joint exercise conducted on the Korean Peninsula. Personnel from the U.S. Space Command, Indo-Pacific Space Command, and U.S. Space Force Korea (SPACEFOR-KOR) are expected to take part. Their focus will likely be on tracking North Korea’s intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs). Additionally, UN Command member countries including Australia, Canada, France, the United Kingdom, Greece, Italy, New Zealand, the Philippines, and Thailand are also participating. The Neutral Nations Supervisory Commission plans to monitor the exercise process in accordance with the armistice agreement.

The joint exercise scenario has also been significantly revised. Previously, the scenario was standardized as ‘North Korean localized provocations → full-scale war execution’ to assume a crisis escalation flow. The updated scenario incorporates North Korea’s advanced nuclear and missile capabilities and intentions, the changed security environment, lessons from the Ukraine war, and responses to fake news (information) that North Korea might spread during wartime or emergencies. It is also reported to include space, cyber, electronic warfare (EW), and cognitive warfare. This reflects preparation not only for conventional weapons but also for various forms of warfare.

In line with the revised scenario, the joint field maneuver exercises have been expanded. The joint field maneuver exercises, which had been reduced since 2019, are being significantly increased. Maneuver training will be conducted in 13 categories, including brigade-level joint science-based combat training. Twenty-five categories, including division-level Ssangryong joint amphibious exercises, will be larger in scale than last year’s Freedom Shield (FS) exercise. The joint field maneuver exercise will be renamed ‘Warrior Shield Field Training Exercise (WS FTX)’ starting with this UFS. For the first time in six years since 2017, the civil defense drill involving the entire nation will be held on the 23rd, with expanded participation from government and military personnel.

During the exercise period, if U.S. strategic assets such as B-1B strategic bombers are deployed, North Korea’s military provocations are expected to intensify further. On the 17th, the National Intelligence Service informed the National Assembly Intelligence Committee that North Korea is preparing various provocations, including ICBM launches, targeting the South Korea-U.S.-Japan summit or the South Korea-U.S. joint exercises.

Meanwhile, the Korean Central News Agency reported that Chairman Kim Jong-un inspected the naval fleet and observed strategic weapons firing drills in line with this UFS. The unit inspected by Chairman Kim is the 2nd Surface Combat Unit of the Naval East Sea Fleet Guard, known as the ‘Ojungheup 7th Regiment.’ The missile launched on that day is believed to be a new type of cruise missile capable of anti-ship and land-attack launched from a naval platform with stealth design features partially applied to minimize radar cross-section.