South Korean, U.S. forces kick off annual joint Freedom Shield exercise
Published: 09 Mar. 2026, 17:53
Updated: 09 Mar. 2026, 18:23
![U.S. Forces Korea and Korean Army soldiers are seen during a joint military drill as part of the Freedom Shield exercise in Paju, Gyeonggi on March 19, 2025. [YONHAP]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2026/03/09/b1cf8edd-468b-425d-910f-0f2d39e45568.jpg)
U.S. Forces Korea and Korean Army soldiers are seen during a joint military drill as part of the Freedom Shield exercise in Paju, Gyeonggi on March 19, 2025. [YONHAP]
South Korean and U.S. forces started Freedom Shield, their annual spring combined exercise, on Monday for a 10-day run.
This year’s exercise, which the allies describe as annual and defensive, is expected to reflect elements related to information and cognitive warfare, an area that has drawn growing attention in recent combat environments.
An official from the Ministry of National Defense noted Monday that the combined exercise was proceeding normally "regardless of the situation in the Middle East". There had been concerns that the drills could be affected as U.S. Forces Korea assets, including Patriot systems, were reportedly being moved to the Middle East in connection with "Epic Fury," the recent U.S. campaign against Iran.
About 18,000 troops are taking part in the drill, a level similar to previous years, according to Seoul's Joint Chiefs of Staff. While the allies do not explicitly identify an enemy, the exercise centers on a command post exercise based on scenarios involving North Korean provocations.
The focus is on helping commanders and staff master operational procedures in a battlefield environment created through computer simulations. The 22 Warrior Shield field training exercises are also scheduled in tandem.
![Military vehicles are seen parked at Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi ahead of the Freedom Shield exercise on March 9, 2025. [NEWS1]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2026/03/09/8d999a93-0f4a-4453-bdc4-70c4dbfdf498.jpg)
Military vehicles are seen parked at Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi ahead of the Freedom Shield exercise on March 9, 2025. [NEWS1]
However, under the Lee Jae Myung administration’s push to scale back field maneuvers, the number of large-scale field training exercises involving the mobilization of a brigade-level force or larger has fallen sharply to six from 13 in 2025. In effect, the policy of reducing field training that was agreed during last year’s Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise, the first held under the Lee administration, has carried over into this year.
Every year, the South Korean and U.S. militaries rehearse contingency response procedures based on scenarios derived from their combined operational plans, and the 2026 exercise is expected to address realistic threats spanning land, sea, air, space and cyber domains.
The scenario is also expected to reflect recent wartime trends seen in Ukraine and the Middle East, including mixed attacks combining missiles and drones, cyberattacks such as hacking of military command-and-control systems and preparations against hostile information intrusions.
![AH-64 Apache helicopters take off at the U.S. Army base Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi, on March 10, 2025, as Korea and the United States kick off their joint annual military exercise, the Freedom Shield. [YONHAP]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2026/03/09/4eef7683-3165-4f5f-b09e-77102edbe539.jpg)
AH-64 Apache helicopters take off at the U.S. Army base Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi, on March 10, 2025, as Korea and the United States kick off their joint annual military exercise, the Freedom Shield. [YONHAP]
The allies also plan to review elements related to combined and joint all-domain operations, a key area of interest for the U.S. military.
Earlier, South Korean and U.S. military authorities stated that they would place emphasis on strengthening the alliance’s combined defense posture, including combined and joint all-domain operations, by incorporating lessons from recent conflicts and the realities of the evolving battlefield environment into the exercise scenario.
The verification process for the transfer of wartime operational control will also take place during the drill.
In particular, the allies are expected to verify the full mission capability of the combined special operations component command and the full operational capability of the combined military intelligence support operations component command, both tied to the six component commands intended to support a South Korean-led defense against North Korea in wartime.
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY LEE YU-JUNG [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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