Seoul: South Korea and the United States kicked off their key summertime combined exercise Monday, with Seoul seeking to use the drills to accelerate efforts to regain wartime operational command (OPCON) from Washington.
According to Qatar News Agency, the annual Ulchi Freedom Shield (UFS) exercise will run until August 27, featuring combined and all-domain operations to boost the allies' readiness and capabilities by incorporating realistic threats reflecting the rapidly changing modern warfare.
The UFS is a flagship combined exercise conducted by the allies every year to train for contingencies against North Korea.
South Korea's military said it expects the latest UFS will serve to support ongoing preparations for a "conditions-based" OPCON transition. Seoul and Washington are working on the OPCON transition based on a three-phased plan, with the evaluation process for the second stage currently under way.