Australian, New Zealand troops join drills here
By Rachel Lee
About 200 Australian and New Zealand soldiers have teamed up in the joint South Korea-U.S. military exercises that started Monday.
According to South Korean military officials, Friday, around 130 soldiers from the Australian Army and 60 from the New Zealand Defense Force are taking part in the biennial Ssang Yong 16 exercise.
This is the first time New Zealand has participated, while Australia has boosted its contingent this year from 100 soldiers in 2014.
“More Australian and New Zealand troops are participating in the Korea-US joint exercise than ever before, showing the international community’s strong will to restrain reckless provocations by North Korea,” an official said.
Australia and New Zealand are members of the 17-nation United Nations Command (UNC) and participated in the Korean War (1950-53).
Some 5,000 South Korean Marines and Navy personnel and 12,200 of their U.S. counterparts are participating in Ssang Yong 16.
On Saturday, the four countries will conduct a simulated amphibious assault on beaches near Pohang, during which they will penetrate notional enemy beach defenses, establish a beachhead and deploy rapid transition forces and support.
The largest joint exercise on the Korean Peninsula involves over 300,000 South Korean troops and 15,000 U.S. personnel. It includes two parallel drills ― the largely computer-simulated Key Resolve drill and the Foal Eagle combined field training exercise, which will run until March 18 and April 30, respectively.
North Korea responded sensitively to the allies’ large-scale drills, apparently because the exercises envision targeting key facilities and the leadership of the Kim Jong-un regime.
The UNC is the multinational military force formed in 1950 to support South Korea during and after the Korean War (1950-1953).
Some 17,000 Australians fought during the war, ranking fifth in the number of soldiers participating. The U.S. ranked first, followed by the United Kingdom, Canada and Turkey. Over 3,500 New Zealand soldiers served during the war.