South Korea and the United States will conduct the 'Ulchi Freedom Shield' (UFS), a routine combined exercise for the defense of the Korean Peninsula in the event of contingencies, from August 17 to 27. This exercise aims to enhance the capability to conduct combined and joint all-domain operations and to strengthen the alliance's combined defense posture, with realistic scenarios reflecting recent lessons learned from operational analyses.

This year's exercise includes participation from 12 United Nations Command member states, including the United States, which will dispatch approximately 70 additional personnel. The Neutral Nations Supervisory Commission will observe compliance with the Armistice Agreement during the exercise period.

One of the core objectives of the exercise is to assess preparations for the transfer of wartime operational control (OPCON). Both countries stated that the exercise will serve as an opportunity to continue advancing condition-based OPCON transfer preparations. The South Korean government is pursuing a plan to finalize the Full Operational Capability (FOC) verification of the future Combined Forces Command after the OPCON transfer at this autumn's Security Consultative Meeting (SCM). Once the FOC verification results are approved, a procedure will follow to recommend the target year for the OPCON transfer, known as 'Year X,' to the military commanders-in-chief of both nations.

However, this year's UFS joint press release did not include direct mention of the FOC verification, and an exercise in which a four-star South Korean general commands as the future Combined Forces Commander will not be conducted this time. The Joint Chiefs of Staff explained that the timing of such an exercise will be reviewed after the FOC verification is completed.

The number of field training exercises (FTX) this year stands at 14 (battalion-level and above), a slight decrease from last year's 17. During the UFS period, South Korea and the US will conduct a combined field training exercise named 'Warrior Shield' (WS) linked to the command post exercise scenarios. The Joint Chiefs of Staff stated that combined field training exercises at the battalion level and above have been integrated and are being conducted in a balanced manner throughout the year, with close coordination between the two sides from the planning stage. In the past, combined FTX events were conducted intensively, but the recent trend has been to distribute them throughout the year.

Government ministries are also participating in the exercise to review wartime readiness. South Korea and the US intend to support government-wide wartime preparation exercises and live exercises to establish a national emergency readiness posture and ensure the safety and security of citizens, thereby enhancing the government's comprehensive national defense capabilities.

United Nations Command Deputy Commander Lieutenant General Scott Winter (Australian Army) recently expressed interest in a meeting with reporters regarding how the United Nations Command could contribute in new domains such as intelligence, cyber, and space.