US and South Korea announce largest military exercise in five years

The U.S. and South Korean militaries announced Friday that they will hold their largest joint military exercise in five years this month. Meanwhile, an American B-1B strategic bomber flew over the Korean Peninsula in a show of force against North Korea.
Pyongyang has threatened to take “unprecedented” drastic measures against such exercises. He will probably respond with missile tests, as he sees these maneuvers as a rehearsal for an invasion.
At a joint press conference, South Korean and U.S. military officials said that from March 13 to 23, they would conduct Exercise Freedom Shield, a command post exercise using computer simulations to reinforce their defense and response capabilities. During the same period, separate large-scale joint exercises on the Warrior Shield FTX field will take place.
A US Army spokesman said the exercise will include joint amphibious landings and be comparable in scale to the Allies’ largest spring field exercise, Foal Eagle.
The last time the Young Eagle exercise took place was in 2018. Since then, the United States and South Korea have canceled or reduced some joint maneuvers to bolster the now-stalled diplomatic work with Pyongyang and in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The deployment of the B-1B bomber was the first such action in a joint military exercise with South Korea since Feb. 19. North Korea reacts very nervously to the deployment of B-1B bombers capable of carrying a large payload in the form of conventional weapons. In the aftermath of previous B-1B flights, Pyongyang tested two short-range missiles.
South Korea’s Defense Ministry said the use of the B-1B demonstrates the determination and ability of the United States to use the full range of its military capabilities, including nuclear, to protect its allies.