Washington:The commander of U.S. Forces Korea, Gen. Xavier Brunson, has called for more geographically dispersed military exercises across South Korea. Speaking at the Association of the United States Army's annual conference, he cited lessons from the war in Ukraine and the need to adapt to evolving battlefield threats as reasons for this shift.
According to Yonhap News Agency, Gen. Brunson emphasized the need to move away from the traditional large command post exercises held twice yearly in Korea. He suggested that future exercises could span from Jeju to Gyeonggi Province, covering the entire peninsula to improve readiness and deterrence.
Currently, South Korea and the United States conduct large-scale combined exercises, Freedom Shield and Ulchi Freedom Shield, to prepare for contingencies on the Korean Peninsula. However, these exercises were scaled back following a directive from U.S. President Donald Trump.
Brunson's proposal for more dispersed training suggests a potential structural shift, focusing on decentralized exercises rather than the current command post-oriented model. A South Korean military source indicated this would entail additional training rather than altering existing large-scale exercises.
Furthermore, Brunson highlighted the vulnerability of forces in fixed positions due to modern technologies like drones, as demonstrated in Ukraine. He advocated for distributing forces across various locations to enhance their defense capabilities.
In addition to reorganizing annual exercises, Brunson proposed conducting more frequent training sessions. He noted a recent strategic exercise where military personnel assessed force maneuverability across South Korea without deploying troops.
During the conference, Brunson also pointed out that North Korean forces involved in the Ukraine conflict are integrating combat lessons into their training and weapons programs, underscoring the urgency for the U.S. and South Korea to adapt their training strategies.