Army Mechanized Unit Conducts Joint Training Locally in UAE

Showcasing the Excellence of Korean-made Weapon Systems such as the K2 Tank

The Army will deploy mechanized units including tanks, self-propelled artillery, and armored vehicles to conduct the 'Korea-UAE Combined Training' in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

The Army announced that on the 3rd, under the supervision of Lieutenant General Kochangjun, acting Chief of Staff of the Army, a send-off ceremony for the Korea-UAE combined training was held at the headquarters of the 8th Maneuver Division located in Yangju, Gyeonggi Province.

The combined training, scheduled to take place from the 10th to the 20th at the Al Hamra training ground in the UAE, will involve the '2025 UAE Combined Training Task Force (Local Combined Training Unit).' The local combined training unit is composed of about 130 personnel, primarily soldiers from the Army's 8th Maneuver Division, including one Marine platoon.

Alongside the troops, 14 pieces of equipment including domestically produced weapon systems such as the K2 tank, K21 infantry fighting vehicle (IFV), and K9A1 self-propelled howitzer will be deployed to showcase the excellence of Korean-made weapons overseas and to derive various combat development requirements through training in the desert battlefield environment.

Notably, this training will mark the first overseas combined exercise deployment of the K21 IFV, the main infantry fighting vehicle of our military, and the latest combat engineering vehicle (CEV), the K600 obstacle breaching vehicle, which completed its operational deployment in 2023. This represents a significant enhancement in combat power compared to the training conducted in Qatar last year.

Acting Chief of Staff Ko urged the troops preparing for deployment, saying, “As an elite combat unit with the best combat skills and teamwork, you are the representative of the Army, the 'central force of national defense,' and the national representative of the Republic of Korea.” He added, “As the saying goes, ‘No army can stand without trust,’ trust yourselves and your comrades beside you, and through voluntary, positive, and proactive mission execution, enhance interoperability with the UAE forces and elevate the status of the Republic of Korea.”

The local combined training unit has prepared thoroughly in advance to be ready for immediate mission execution. They analyzed the operational environment through two visits to the UAE, and prepared for the training from pre-education and training (specialty training, small unit combat skills mastery, physical training, etc.) to establishing unit movement plans.

Lieutenant Colonel Lee Juhyun, commander of the local combined training unit, stated, “This training will be an important opportunity to further solidify military cooperation between Korea and the UAE and to enhance mutual understanding between the two countries' militaries.” He added, “Through successful training, we will widely promote the excellence of our military and domestically produced weapon systems to the world.”

Meanwhile, the Army plans to form a combat training analysis team during this combined training to derive combat development requirements and will continue various efforts to strengthen combat power, including expanding combined training with allied countries both domestically and abroad.