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| M270 multiple rocket launchers fire salvos during combined live-fire ordnance drills between South Korea and the U.S. at Seungjin Fire Training Field in Pocheon, Gyeonggi Province, Thursday. Courtesy of Ministry of National Defense |
Fighter jets, tanks, drones, 2,500 soldiers join largest-ever ordnance training
By Jung Min-ho
More than 600 weapons systems, including the latest fighter jets, tanks and drones, as well as 2,500 troops from South Korea and the United States participated, Thursday, in the first leg of their largest-ever live-fire ordnance drills.
F-35A stealth jets, AH-64E Apache attack helicopters, K9 Thunder self-propelled howitzers, K2 Black Panther tanks and Nuclear Biological Chemical Reconnaissance Vehicles of the U.S. were among those mobilized for the exercises conducted at Seungjin Fire Training Field in Pocheon, a city less than 40 kilometers away from the inter-Korean border.
According to the Ministry of National Defense, the event was part of celebrations for the 75th anniversary of South Korea's military and the 70th anniversary of the Seoul-Washington alliance that was forged in the crucible of war on the Korean Peninsula. The exercises are primarily aimed at improving the allies' interoperability against North Korea's growing threats.
Under a scenario of a North Korean invasion, initiated with barrages from self-propelled artillery guns, the allies responded immediately by mobilizing K-9 self-propelled howitzers as well as 239-millimeter Chunmoo rockets to destroy not only the North's artillery corps but also their command and control facility.
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| K2 Black Panther tanks fire during South Korea and the United States' combined live-fire ordnance drills at Seungjin Fire Training Field in Pocheon, Gyeonggi Province, Thursday. Courtesy of Ministry of National Defense |
In the following scenario where the North began an all-out attempt to dominate the border region, the allies deployed dozens of unmanned aerial reconnaissance vehicles to gather key data before concentrating their firepower on its most vulnerable targets to incapacitate the enemy forces.
Tensions reached a fever pitch when the air and land forces of the allies deployed some of the most lethal weapons to obliterate the control center of the North before declaring victory.
"I was able to see the confidence and overwhelming strength of the South Korean and U.S. soldiers through their eyes during the preparation," South Korea's 5th Corps Commander Lt. Gen. Kim Sung-min, who was in charge of the drills, said. "I also could see the strong bonds of the South Korea-U.S. alliance."
Some 2,000 people, including government officials, lawmakers, representatives of defense companies, war veterans and members of the public, visited the site for the event.
"I was able to see the powerful and formidable force of our military, and became confident in its capabilities against North Korean aggression," Roh Seung-wook, son of a veteran of the Korean War, said.
The Joint Firing Destruction Drills have been conducted 11 times since 1977. Then President Park Geun-hye watched the drills in person at the training facility on Aug. 28, 2015, amid rising tensions following North Korea's threat to attack South Korea's loudspeakers installed near the Demilitarized Zone. The previous training was carried out in 2017, with more than 2,000 troops participating.
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| Military drones fly low in the sky over tanks other weapons systems on the land during South Korea and the United States' combined live-fire ordnance drills at Seungjin Fire Training Field in Pocheon, Gyeonggi Province, Thursday. Courtesy of Ministry |
The latest drills come as tensions remain high between the rival Koreas. After the end of the fruitless summits with Washington in 2018 and 2019, Pyongyang eventually renewed ― and accelerated ― its nuclear weapons program and the development other weapons systems such as advanced missiles and nuclear-powered submarines capable of launching nuclear-tipped missiles.
Some worry about Pyongyang's response. Last week, its official Korean Central News Agency expressed its derision and contempt, saying it would be risible to conduct 'destruction' drills against "a nuclear-power state."
"A crazy tumult created by the United States and its warmongering followers would be met with a corresponding response," the broadcaster said. "It is a legitimate right of a sovereign state to arm itself with powerful measures for self-defense against potential threats under the grave circumstances."
The allies are scheduled to continue their gunnery exercises on June 2, 7, 12, and 15 before wrapping them up.
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