Allies focus on deterring nuclear threats
The U.S. Air Force’s U-2 ultra-high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft participates in training at Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, Monday, as part of South Korea and the United States’ annual Ulchi Freedom Guardian exercise that will run until Aug. 31. / Yonhap
Key US commanders to send joint message to Pyongyang Tuesday
By Jun Ji-hye
The South Korea-U.S. joint exercise that started Monday is focused on bolstering a tailored deterrence against North Korea’s possible use of nuclear arms or other weapons of mass destruction, according to officials.
The Ulchi Freedom Guardian (UFG) drill, which will run until Aug. 31, is following Operational Plan (OPLAN) 5015 of the Combined Forces Command (CFC).
Seoul and Washington have established a bilateral tailored deterrence strategy which outlines three military steps they will take in response to the North’s escalatory nuclear threats _ the threat of nuclear attack, the imminent use of nuclear weapons and an actual nuclear strike.
The allies signed off on OPLAN 5015 in 2015 to replace OPLAN 5027. The new OPLAN reportedly includes a contingency for pre-emptive strikes against key facilities in North Korea.
“The drill is a computer-simulated defensive exercise that is annually conducted,” said Baik Tae-hyun, a spokesman from the Ministry of Unification, downplaying the North’s repeated criticism of the exercise.
In a rare move, three key U.S. military commanders _ Adm. Harry Harris who commands the Pacific Command, Gen. John Hyten who leads the Strategic Command, and Lt. Gen. Samuel Greaves who heads the Missile Defense Agency _ will observe the command-post exercise in person, according to sources.
Adm. Harris arrived in South Korea Sunday and met with Seoul’s Defense Minister Song Young-moo. The two agreed to step up joint efforts to counter North Korea’s threats.
Gen. Hyten accompanied Adm. Harris, while Gen. Greaves is expected to arrive here soon. Gen. Hyten also vowed to continue providing Seoul with Washington’s strategic assets and missile defense capabilities during his meeting with Song, Monday.
Warning to NK
The key U.S. commanders will hold a joint press conference Tuesday during which time they are expected to send a strong message calling on Pyongyang to stop its provocative behavior.
The UFG exercise is the first major combined drill by Seoul and Washington since Pyongyang launched alleged intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM) July 4 and 28.
The Kim Jong-un regime has also threatened to fire ballistic missiles toward Guam in response to U.S. President Donald Trump’s warning that the North could face “fire and fury like the world has never seen.”
About 17,500 U.S. service members are participating in the exercise with about 3,000 coming from installations outside South Korea, the Pentagon said. The number has been decreased by 7,500 compared to last year.
Seoul has mobilized 50,000 troops for the drill, according to sources.
The Pentagon said the UFG exercise is “designed to enhance readiness, protect the region and maintain stability on the Korean Peninsula.”
Defense officials here earlier said Seoul was in talks with Washington on the dispatch of U.S. strategic weapons to the exercise such as nuclear-powered aircraft carriers and submarines, but there were no reports of such dispatches as of Monday.
United Nations Command forces from seven nations, including Australia, Canada, Colombia, Denmark, New Zealand, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom, are also participating in the exercise.
Neutral Nations Supervisory Commission observers are monitoring the exercise to ensure it complies with the 1953 armistice agreement, the Pentagon added.