Ministry of National Defense Republic of Korea

A “combined command post exercise” will be held from March 4th to 12th, concentrating on strategic, operational and tactical aspects

Following the decision by Minister of National Defense Jeong Kyeong-doo and his U.S. counterpart, acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan, to end the Key Resolve (KR) and Foal Eagle (FE) drills, the Dong Maeng(Alliance) exercise will be held from March 4th to 12th as a new combined post exercise between the two allies.

On March 3rd, Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) and Republic of Korea-U.S. Combined Forces Command (CFC) announced: “The Dong Maeng exercise is a combined command post exercise underlying the partnership that has been maintained for many years between our two countries, and our common goal of defending regional stability in Republic of Korea.” The statement went on to explain that the exercise has been modified from the previously held KR and FE drills, and will focus on strategic, operational and tactical aspects of general military operations on the Korean Peninsula.　

JCS Chairman Gen. Park Han-ki and CFC Commander Gen. Robert Abrams jointly announced: “The Dong Maeng exercise provides us the opportunity to train and rehearse with Republic of Korea, U.S. and United Nations Sending State Partners. It is important for professional armies to train and maintain a standard of readiness. Joint exercises are indispensable to maintaining and strengthening an alliance.”

The Republic of Korean and U.S. defense ministers reaffirmed a security pledge of continuing to ensure the allies’ combined defense posture in order to respond to any security challenges, and agreed to maintain firm military readiness through the newly launched combined command post exercise and the modified field training exercise (FTX). 

They also pledged that they will continue to support the two countries’ military forces, combined forces command and UN command for regional peace and security. 

“The two ministers clarified that the allies’ decision to modify the exercise and training is an action the two countries expect will relieve the tension and support diplomatic efforts that aim to accomplish the eventual complete and verifiable denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. Given that Republic of Korea and the U.S. have been communicating more smoothly than ever before under the ever-changing security environment of the Korean Peninsula, they agreed to deepen the alliance between the two countries and have a meeting over the short haul, to strengthen mutual cooperation with the goal of ensuring peace and security on the Korean Peninsula,” the ministry explained.

The statement came a day after Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo and his U.S. counterpart, Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan, had a telephone conversation during which they shared their views on the second North Korea-U.S. summit and discussed cooperation plans and actions to maintain their combined defense readiness for the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and the establishment of a permanent peace on the peninsula.

In phone talks, Acting Secretary Shanahan explained the outcomes of the second North Korea-U.S. summit, and Minister Jeong expressed regret that the two countries had failed to reach a final agreement during the summit. However, Minister Jeong expressed hope that North Korea and the U.S. will continue to have more active dialogue based on the outcomes of the summit. According to the Ministry of National Defense, the two ministers shared their views on continuous support for diplomatic efforts through close mutual cooperation between Republic of Korea and the U.S. military authorities.

Meanwhile, the decision ends the KE and FE joint drills, which are annual large-scale Republic of Korea-U.S. joint military exercises.

According to the ministry, Minister Jeong and Acting Secretary Shanahan reviewed and approved the Dong Maeng combined exercise that was suggested by JCS Chairman and CFC Commander. "We have a plan to maintain a firm posture of military readiness by replacing the FE drills with the FTX that has been modified throughout the year," said an official from the ministry.

By Su-Yeol, Maeng <guns13@dema.mil.kr >

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