By Ankit Panda
50,000 ROK troops and 30,000 U.S. troops are involved in the 2014 Ulchi Freedom Guardian exercise.
The United States and South Korea began their annual two-week long joint war drill Ulchi Freedom Guardian (UFG) on Monday. The computer-aided exercise will involve 50,000 South Korea troops and 30,000 U.S. troops. The United States is additionally including 3,000 troops from bases outside of South Korea in the exercise. According to South Korea’s Yonhap News, “this year will be the first time for the allies to implement their customized deterrence plan against Pyongyang’s nuclear threats and weapons of mass destruction.” In general, the exercise is geared at maintaining preparedness for a North Korean assault against the South.
This year’s UFG exercise will focus on implementing the bilateral strategy that was drafted between the two sides during the 2013 defense ministerial. According to Yonhap, that strategy “delineates how they should work together to deter both wartime and peacetime aggression from Pyongyang, from saber-rattling to the actual use of force.” The exercise will take place over 12 days.
Read the full story at The Diplomat