The United States and South Korea began their annual Freedom Shield joint military exercise on Monday (9 March), a key component of allied defence cooperation on the Korean Peninsula.
The drills will run until 19 March 2026 and involve around 18,000 troops. According to reports, the exercise focuses on evaluating conditions for the eventual transfer of wartime operational control (OPCON) from Washington to Seoul.
The transfer is a priority for South Korean President Lee Jae Myung, who aims to complete the conditions-based handover during his term ending in 2030.
Key developments include:
• Freedom Shield 2026 will include 22 field training drills, down from 51 exercises in 2025.
• The drills test readiness for the future OPCON transfer from the United States to South Korea.
• North Korea continues to criticise joint drills as “rehearsals for invasion”.
The reduced scale comes as Seoul seeks to maintain defence readiness while leaving room for possible US–North Korea diplomatic engagement.
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