South Korea, US Complete All Joint Field Training Drills Postponed From August: JCS

(MENAFN- IANS) Seoul, Dec 29 (IANS) The South Korean military said on Monday that it has conducted all joint field training drills with the United States that the allies postponed after rescheduling them from August as part of the annual summertime Ulchi Freedom Shield (UFS) exercise.

In a notice to the press, the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said it had completed 22 of some 40 field drills that the allies decided to push back in August by a month.

"To ensure a balanced military readiness posture year-round and the conditions for training, we have rescheduled 22 of about 40 joint drills and completed them by the end of the year," the JCS said.

The major drills completed included combined tactical airborne insertion drills, personnel recovery operations, equipment maintenance support training and live-fire exercises, according to the JCS.

It said two of the exercises, including airport damage recovery drills, were conducted solely by the South Korean military, Yonhap news agency reported.

The allies earlier decided to partially push back the field training exercises, citing "multiple factors," such as a heat wave and the benefit of spreading such drills throughout the year for enhanced readiness.

But speculation has it that some of the field drills were pushed back in what appeared to be a reconciliatory gesture in line with South Korea's President Lee Jae Myung's administration's aim to mend frayed inter-Korean ties.

Earlier on October 14, the militaries of South Korea and the United States had carried out only five out of some 20 field training drills in September after rescheduling them from August as part of the annual summertime Ulchi Freedom Shield (UFS) exercise.

The allies earlier had decided to partially push back around half of some 40 planned field training exercises set for August by a month, citing the ongoing heat wave.

However, they had only conducted five field drills out of the 20 such exercises planned for September, according a report submitted by the Joint Chiefs of Staff to Rep. Kang Dae-sik of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP).

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