Defense chief reaffirms S. Korea-US alliance with visit to key wartime command post
Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back, second from right at the front row, visits CP Tango, a key wartime command post, on Aug. 20, 2025, in this photo provided by the defense ministry. Also seen in the photo is U.S. Forces Korea Commander Gen. Xavier Brunson, right at the front row. Yonhap
Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back on Wednesday reaffirmed the South Korea-U.S. combined defense posture and urged efforts to strengthen it, as he visited a key wartime command bunker amid the allies' major summertime exercise currently under way, the defense ministry said.
Ahn made the call as he visited CP Tango, a key U.S.-controlled wartime command bunker complex, to meet U.S. Forces Korea Commander Gen. Xavier Brunson and receive updates on the ongoing Ulchi Freedom Shield (UFS) exercise.
Ahn called the UFS drills a "precious opportunity" to display the steadfast South Korea-U.S. alliance and further bolster it, urging troops to focus on establishing a firm combined defense posture based on the spirit of "fight tonight."
Brunson, who also serves as the commander of the South Korea-U.S. Combined Forces Command, concurred on the importance of the summertime drills aimed at enhancing the allies' interoperability.
"Ulchi Freedom Shield is our premier exercise, a critical demonstration of the enduring strength of the U.S.-ROK Alliance, and our commitment to peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula," he said in a separate release. ROK refers to the acronym of South Korea's formal name.
Ahn's visit to CP Tango came as South Korea and the U.S. launched the UFS exercise Monday for an 11-day run through Aug. 28.
Seoul and Washington have described the annual drills as purely defensive and pushed back about half of some 40 planned field training exercises to September, as part of apparent efforts by South Korea to mend frayed ties with North Korea.
The North has long denounced the allies' joint exercises as a rehearsal for an invasion against it. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has condemned the latest drills as showing their will to "ignite a war" and called for a "rapid expansion" of nuclear arms.