By Focus | 2026-03-13

South Korea and the United States are conducting the annual Freedom Shield 26 exercise from March 9–19, tightening allied readiness and reinforcing a combined deterrent posture against threats on the Korean peninsula, the allies said.

Both sides announced their plan February 25 at Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek. The drills are built to "enhance the combined, joint, all-domain, and interagency operational environment," said US Forces Korea in a statement.

Alliance readiness

South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) described the exercise as a way to sharpen combined defense planning and advance alliance preparations for wartime command arrangements.

"By reflecting realistic situations such as recent combat analysis results and challenging battlefield environments in the exercise scenario, it will serve as an opportunity to strengthen the ROK [Republic of Korea]-US alliance's combined defense posture, including 'joint all-domain operations,' and to continuously advance preparations for the 'conditions-based transfer of wartime operational control' agreed upon by the two nations," the ROK JCS said in a joint press statement.

South Korea is seeking to achieve this handover before President Lee Jae Myung's five-year term ends in 2030, according to Yonhap News Agency.

In its statement, US Forces Korea framed Freedom Shield 26 as part of an effort to modernize the alliance and give South Korea the leading role in securing the peninsula.

"This includes empowering the ROK to lead the deterrence and defense against the DPRK as the [Pentagon] prioritizes deterring China," the statement said, using an acronym for North Korea.

Freedom Shield is one of two annual major command post exercises held each year by the United States and South Korea. The other is Ulchi Freedom Shield in August.

"The drills are largely computer-simulated and designed to test the allies’ joint operational capabilities while incorporating evolving war scenarios and security challenges," the Associated Press (AP) reported.

North Korea has long denounced the allies' joint exercises as invasion rehearsals, while Seoul and Washington say the drills are defensive.

Meanwhile, the announcement came as North Korea convened a major political conference where leader Kim Jong Un was expected to describe his primary domestic, foreign policy and military objectives for the next five years, the AP reported.

Kim could use the meeting to entrench his harder line toward South Korea and list coming moves to strengthen and integrate nuclear and conventional forces, analysts cited by the AP said.

Capability modernization

Freedom Shield 26 "is defensive in nature" and will combine live, constructive and field training events, US Forces Korea emphasized. The exercise is intended to address realistic threats across land, sea, air, space, cyber and information domains, though officials are withholding specific details on live training for security reasons.

Beyond the command post component, the units will take part in large-scale live training to upgrade interoperability and overall combat readiness, US Forces Korea said.

South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said about 18,000 South Korean troops are expected to participate, while the US military did not disclose how many American personnel will be involved, according to Yonhap.

Several United Nations Command member states likely will send personnel and participate in various capacities throughout the exercise. The Neutral Nations Supervisory Commission, including representatives from Sweden and Switzerland, will observe the drills, the statement said.

"Alliance modernization is focused on investing in real capabilities, improving readiness, integration, and combined warfighting effectiveness," the statement said.

Freedom Shield 26 "underscores the enduring military partnership" between South Korea and the United States, the statement added. It is taking place in line with the 1953 US-South Korean mutual defense treaty and the armistice that ended the Korean War.

The exercise "reaffirms the commitment of both the United States and the Republic of Korea to maintain security on the Korean Peninsula and in the Indo-Pacific region," the statement reiterated.