By Jun Ji-hye
South Korea and the United States' annual Key Resolve exercise will take place from March 2 to 13, the Combined Forces Command (CFC) announced Tuesday.
The war game will involve about 10,000 South Korean and 8,600 American troops to test various scenarios in which South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff plays a leading role in conducting operations.
"This is a critical exercise to train alongside our ROK (Republic of Korea) and United Nations Sending State partners," said Gen. Curtis Scaparrotti, the commander of the CFC, United States Forces Korea and the U.N. Command (UNC). "It is important to maintain our high level of proficiency on key tasks while exercising different scenarios."
In particular, the participation of the USS Fort Worth, a 3,450-ton Freedom-class littoral combat ship (LCS), draws keen attention as it will mark the first LCS trained with the South Korean Navy.
U.S. Naval Forces Korea spokesman Arlo Abrahamson said in a statement, "The exercise provides a great chance to increase our combined readiness, which ultimately contributes to greater stability for the region."
Australia, Canada, Denmark, France and Britain plan to participate in the drill, while the Neutral Nations Supervisory Commission will observe and monitor it.
Separately, the allies will also hold the annual Foal Eagle exercise training window, which involves a set of land, sea and air maneuvers, from March 2 to April 24.
The UNC has informed the Korean People's Army in North Korea through their Panmunjeom mission about the Key Resolve dates and the non-provocative nature of this training.
The North, through its state-run Rodong Sinmun, threatened to react to the joint drills with military action, labeling the exercise as aggressive war practice.
Follow Jun Ji-hye on Twitter @TheKopJihye
South Korea and the United States' annual Key Resolve exercise will take place from March 2 to 13, the Combined Forces Command (CFC) announced Tuesday.
The war game will involve about 10,000 South Korean and 8,600 American troops to test various scenarios in which South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff plays a leading role in conducting operations.
"This is a critical exercise to train alongside our ROK (Republic of Korea) and United Nations Sending State partners," said Gen. Curtis Scaparrotti, the commander of the CFC, United States Forces Korea and the U.N. Command (UNC). "It is important to maintain our high level of proficiency on key tasks while exercising different scenarios."
In particular, the participation of the USS Fort Worth, a 3,450-ton Freedom-class littoral combat ship (LCS), draws keen attention as it will mark the first LCS trained with the South Korean Navy.
U.S. Naval Forces Korea spokesman Arlo Abrahamson said in a statement, "The exercise provides a great chance to increase our combined readiness, which ultimately contributes to greater stability for the region."
Australia, Canada, Denmark, France and Britain plan to participate in the drill, while the Neutral Nations Supervisory Commission will observe and monitor it.
Separately, the allies will also hold the annual Foal Eagle exercise training window, which involves a set of land, sea and air maneuvers, from March 2 to April 24.
The UNC has informed the Korean People's Army in North Korea through their Panmunjeom mission about the Key Resolve dates and the non-provocative nature of this training.
The North, through its state-run Rodong Sinmun, threatened to react to the joint drills with military action, labeling the exercise as aggressive war practice.
Follow Jun Ji-hye on Twitter @TheKopJihye
