Doha: South Korea and the United States have initiated their annual combined military exercise, Ulchi Freedom Shield (UFS), on Monday to strengthen their joint defense readiness. The exercise is planned to span an 11-day period, concluding on August 28, and is designed to address "realistic" threats to enhance the capabilities of both nations across all military domains. This year, approximately 18,000 South Korean troops are set to participate in the drills, as reported by South Korea's Yonhap news agency.
According to Qatar News Agency, while the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) of South Korea have indicated that the scale of this year's exercises is comparable to the previous year, nearly half of the 40 scheduled field training exercises have been postponed to September. In conjunction with the military exercises, a four-day civil defense exercise is also taking place, involving around 580,000 civilians. This component is focused on preparing for potential threats such as drone attacks and cyberattacks.
A notable aspect of the civil defense exercises is an anti-air raid drill that will be conducted nationwide on Wednesday, further emphasizing the comprehensive nature of the defense preparedness activities currently underway.