 Gen. Walter Sharp, left, commander of the Combined Forces Command (CFC), speaks at a news conference in the Yongsan Garrison, Seoul, Thursday. At Sharp’s left is Deputy CFC Commander Gen. Jung Seung-jo. / Korea Times photo by Ryu Hyo-jin |
South Korea and the United States have executed “realistic” training exercises to respond to various types of internal instability in North Korea, the top U.S. military general said Thursday.
Such drills were held during the latest Ulchi Freedom Guardian computerized simulation exercise from Aug. 16 to 26, said Gen. Walter Sharp, commander of U.S. Forces Korea (USFK).
Seoul’s Unification Ministry was reported to have participated in the drill for the first time.
Sharp’s remarks come amid speculation about the North’s looming father-to-son power succession and possible political instability. The remarks are also construed as meaning that both governments have successfully developed their joint operational plan, codenamed 5029, to cope with any North Korean contingency, including a sudden regime collapse, a mass influx of North Korean refugees and a civil war provoked by a revolt or coup.
“We are really trying to make sure that we use realistic exercises and make sure that we are prepared for anything that could happen in Korea,” Sharp said in a media roundtable at Yongsan Garrison in Seoul. The four-star general concurrently serves as head of the Combined Forces Command and the United Nations Command.
“At the same time, we take lessons learned out of Iraq and Afghanistan that we think apply here in the ROK and exercise those also,” he said. “So one of the things that we have learned out of Iraq and Afghanistan is that you can be fighting and attacking at one area and defending at another area.”
The main mission is to stabilize and protect the population in the area, he said, adding both militaries are designing such exercises to ensure that they “are able to not only to defend, not only able to attack and kill, but also able to provide humanitarian assistance” to help ensure security and stability for everyone in the region.
Sharp said North Korea stabilization operations are to be conducted by both governments.
“It is not just the military that has to be united together in order to achieve victory,” the commander said. “So we try very hard and the Combined Forces Command work very closely not only with the U.S. embassy, all of the ROK government especially during the Ulchi Freedom Guardian, in order to make sure that both military and civilian operations are synchronized from both ROK and U.S. perspectives.”
Meanwhile, Sharp admitted a possible redeployment of U.S. forces in Korea to other parts of the region in coming years.
“Our No. 1 responsibility in the ROK is U.S. Forces Korea is to deter and defend the ROK. We will never do anything that will threaten that No. 1 responsibility,” he said.
“As agreed several years ago as we move forward to the future, our goal is to be able to help ensure stability and security not only on the peninsula but in the region,” said the general. “We believe that, that will help provide additional security for the peninsula itself.”
There are about 28,000 U.S. service members here as a deterrent against North Korea.
![[INTERVIEW] Retired FSC chief finds inspiration exploring Koreans' ancestral roots](https://img.koreatimes.co.kr/upload/thumbnailV2/6642af4d9fed4cae8a8a951eedbbaa6f.jpg/dims/resize/178/optimize)
![[INTERVIEW] 'The Flag': Kwon Jin-ah's love letter to people chasing their dreams](https://img.koreatimes.co.kr/upload/thumbnailV2/286500d853334c96ab51e56d74fe38f2.jpg/dims/resize/178/optimize)
