Enhancing Wartime WMD Elimination Capability in North Korea
Over 500 ROK-US Soldiers and 50 Pieces of Equipment Deployed
The Army announced on the 12th that the 25th Infantry Division and the US 2nd Infantry Division/ROK-US Combined Division conducted a "ROK-US Combined Mass Destruction Weapon (WMD) Elimination Exercise" at the Mugeon-ri Training Ground in Paju, Gyeonggi Province.
On the 13th, at the Mugeon-ri Training Ground in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, soldiers from the Army Amitiger Demonstration Brigade are conducting squad tactical training during the 'Amitiger Demonstration Brigade Joint Exercise.' Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@
This exercise was conducted as part of the 2025 Freedom Shield (FS) exercise and was planned to enhance the capability to conduct elimination operations against WMDs scattered in North Korean territory during wartime. In particular, the exercise focused on strengthening combat power by augmenting the corps Integrated Support Task Force (ISTF) with manned and unmanned combined combat systems, and on mastering coordination and integrated operational capabilities with the ROK-US Combined WMD Response Task Force (CWMD-TF).
More than 500 soldiers from the 25th Division and the Combined Division participated in the exercise. In addition, about 50 pieces of equipment were deployed, including Korean unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), rifle-firing unmanned aerial vehicles, multipurpose unmanned vehicles, multi-legged walking robots, explosive detection and disposal robots, K877 wheeled command armored vehicles, and US military robots such as PackBot. A company-sized opposing force was operated inside and outside the WMD facility, and bilateral engagements using MILES equipment were conducted to create an environment similar to an actual battlefield, maximizing the training effect.
The full-scale exercise began when a special forces reconnaissance team that had infiltrated enemy territory discovered a suspected WMD facility. The 25th Division, tasked by the 1st Corps with securing the suspected facility, formed the ISTF with one infantry battalion, one company-sized battalion from the division engineer battalion, one company-sized chemical support unit, the 1st Corps Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) team, and one special forces team, and proceeded with the facility securing and seizure operation.
First, the ISTF confirmed the detailed location, size, and garrisoned troops of the suspected facility using UAVs and reconnaissance drones, then eliminated surrounding enemies using rifle-firing UAVs, Hyungung (anti-tank missiles), and 81mm mortars, and surrounded the facility. Subsequently, under the cover of smoke vehicles, explosive detection and disposal robots and multipurpose unmanned vehicles were used to clear paths through barbed wire and minefields around the facility. Then, a chemical reconnaissance vehicle was deployed, confirming contamination in some areas of the facility and conducting decontamination.
After the ISTF completely secured the outside of the facility, a US Stryker Brigade company, which would form the core of the CWMD-TF, was deployed. The ISTF and the US Stryker Brigade company formed a combined command post, and then the CWMD-TF, which took command of the engineer platoon, chemical platoon, and EOD team from the ISTF, entered the facility. Leading with PackBot reconnaissance, ROK-US soldiers successfully cleared the enemy and proceeded with the WMD securing and elimination procedures.
Colonel Ma Dong-hyuk, commander of the ISTF, said, "It was a valuable time to train coordination and integrated operations between the ISTF and CWMD-TF," adding, "We will continue to contribute to strengthening interoperability between the ROK and US forces through ongoing exchanges and combined exercises."
Captain William Taylor, company commander of the Combined Division’s Stryker Brigade, said, "I am grateful for the opportunity to conduct combined training with the ROK Army," and added, "I am confident that the ROK-US alliance has been further strengthened through this exercise."
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