US, South Korea Launch Freedom Shield Drills

SEOUL, South Korea — The United States and South Korea launched their annual Freedom Shield joint military exercises on Monday, involving thousands of troops in a series of simulations and field trainings designed to bolster alliance readiness amid heightened regional tensions. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's sister, Kim Yo Jong, sharply condemned the drills as a provocative rehearsal for war, warning they threaten stability on the Korean Peninsula.

The 11-day exercise, running through March 19, features primarily computer-simulated command post operations to test combined operational capabilities against evolving threats, including scenarios related to North Korea's nuclear arsenal. South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff reported that approximately 18,000 South Korean troops are participating, with U.S. Forces Korea serving as the ground component through units such as the Eighth Army, including the 2nd Infantry Division and the 11th Airborne Division from Alaska. The drills incorporate all-domain operations across land, sea, air, space, and cyberspace, along with a reduced number of 22 field training events under the Warrior Shield program, down from 51 the previous year.