Gunsan:South Korea and the United States have commenced their combined air drills, known as the Freedom Flag exercise, this week. The drills are aimed at focusing on counter-air and air interdiction missions to enhance wartime joint operations, as reported by the South's Air Force on Monday.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the exercise began on Monday and will run for two weeks at Kunsan Air Base in Gunsan, approximately 180 kilometers southwest of Seoul. It involves key aerial assets from both nations, including the South Korean Air Force's F-15K, KF-16, and F-35A fighter jets, as well as the KC-330 transport aircraft and E-737 Peace Eye early warning and control aircraft.
The United States is contributing with its Air Force's F-16 Fighting Falcon jet, RC-135 reconnaissance plane, and the Navy's MH-60S Seahawk helicopter. Additionally, the U.S. Marines Corps will participate with the F-35B stealth fighter jet and the MQ-9 Reaper unmanned surveillance aircraft. The drills will feature day and nighttime "mission planning cells" to facilitate the exchange of tactics and expertise.
The primary objective of these missions is to enhance interoperability and build combined operational capabilities during wartime, particularly defensive counter-air and air interdiction strategies. Reflecting on the evolving modern warfare landscape, the drills will also assess the planning and execution of South Korea-led combined exercises, aligning with Seoul's ongoing efforts to regain wartime operational control (OPCON) from Washington.
South Korea aims to retake this control by 2030 or earlier by demonstrating its capability to lead combined forces. The semiannual Freedom Flag drills were initiated in 2024, replacing the previous large-scale air exercises between the allies, which were the Korea Flying Training in the first half of the year and Vigilant Defense in the second half.