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U.S. military squadron in Alaska joins live-fire drills in Korea

Published: 31 Mar. 2026, 17:39

Korean and U.S. troops pose for a photo after completing a combined arms live-fire exercise at Rodriguez Live Fire Complex in Pocheon, south of the demilitarized zone separating the two Koreas, on March 24 in this photo provided by the U.S. Army. [UNITED STATES ARMY]

A U.S. military squadron stationed in Alaska has joined live-fire drills with the Korean military, according to the U.S. Eighth Army on Tuesday.

The joint drills, held at the Yeongpyeong training area, were a “clear signal” of the U.S. commitment to the alliance with Korea, the U.S. military said on its website.

The drills involved “paratroopers from the 1st Squadron, 40th Cavalry Regiment [and] 11th Airborne Division,” it said.

“It serves as a prime example of the U.S. Army's Transformation Initiative in action, delivering optimized warfighting capabilities to ensure a lethal and ready force.

“The squadron's deployment from Alaska to the Korean Peninsula highlights a force not bound by distance.”

“This is a place we don't often get access to,” Lt. Col. Craig Nelson, the battalion commander of 1-40 CAV, told the U.S. military. “We spend a lot of time specializing in Arctic warfare in interior Alaska. But the truth is that we need to be able to go anywhere, and we've got a lot we can learn from our allies here too.”

“This exercise validates the U.S. Army's ability to rapidly deploy combat-credible forces from the Arctic to anywhere in the Indo-Pacific, prepared to fight and win alongside our allies in any environment. It proves we are ready anywhere and anytime,” according to the Eighth Army's website.

Yonhap