{"id":11761,"date":"2026-10-27T12:52:51","date_gmt":"2026-10-27T12:52:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/?p=11761"},"modified":"2026-10-27T12:52:51","modified_gmt":"2026-10-27T12:52:51","slug":"brunsons-call-for-year-round-drills-short-on-details","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/?p=11761","title":{"rendered":"Brunson’s call for year-round drills short on details"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Gen. Xavier Brunson, commander of U.S. Forces Korea, speaks during a luncheon hosted by the American Chamber of Commerce in Korea at Mondrian Seoul Itaewon in Yongsan District, Seoul, Oct. 21. Yonhap <\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Seoul\u2019s military says it will maintain its two major annual exercises with Washington while continuing joint training throughout the year, following a call by the top U.S. commander in South Korea for more consistent training.<\/p>\n

The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said the allies are \u201cflexibly conducting and developing a balanced year-round training system while firmly maintaining their regular combined exercises in both halves of the year.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gen. Xavier Brunson, commander of U.S. Forces Korea (USFK), said at an American Chamber of Commerce in Korea event on Wednesday that he had met JCS Chairman Gen. Jin Yong-sung to discuss the upcoming Freedom Shield exercise.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe can\u2019t hinge our readiness on two exercises a year,\u201d Brunson said. \u201cIt\u2019s got to be training throughout the entirety of the year where we continue to shape ourselves to meet the objective set forward for us by our national command authorities.\u201d<\/p>\n

The allies hold Freedom Shield in March and Ulchi Freedom Shield in August, both large-scale exercises centered on command-post operations. They also conduct smaller combined field drills throughout the year.<\/p>\n

Brunson previously advocated spreading training across the peninsula to avoid making allied forces easy targets. At a U.S. Army conference in Washington on Oct. 12, he suggested training between the two major exercises and operating in a more dispersed fashion, drawing lessons from the war in Ukraine.<\/p>\n

Asked to clarify Brunson\u2019s latest remarks, USFK said it had no separate official statement and requested that his comments be taken as stated, describing them as a continuation of views he had expressed previously.<\/p>\n

It remains unclear whether his remarks will lead to changes in the frequency, locations or content of existing exercises.<\/p>\n

A military official said no specific new training arrangements had been decided. The official said changes to exercise scenarios based on North Korea\u2019s experience in Russia\u2019s war against Ukraine would first require a clearer assessment of Pyongyang\u2019s evolving capabilities.<\/p>\n

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South Korean and U.S. military engineers construct a combined floating bridge during a joint river-crossing exercise along Namhan River in Yeoju, Gyeonggi Province, Thursday. Courtesy of Republic of Korea Army<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Shin Jong-woo, secretary-general of the Korea Defense and Security Forum, said the content of training matters as much as its frequency. Allied troops need to practice countering drones, concealing troops and equipment from aerial surveillance, and restoring communications disrupted by electronic warfare, he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow can we respond to a changing battlefield if North Korea is changing but the objectives and content of our training remain the same?\u201d Shin said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen communications are cut, troops also need to practice connecting a backup line and restoring them quickly,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

Retired Lt. Gen. Chun In-bum, a former commander of the Army\u2019s Special Warfare Command, cautioned against interpreting Brunson\u2019s comments simply as a call for more exercises or changes in troop deployments.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat Brunson meant was adjusting things so that readiness is maintained properly throughout the year,\u201d Chun said. He also questioned whether the Korean military would be willing to carry out more demanding training arrangements.<\/p>\n

Leif-Eric Easley, a professor of international studies at Ewha Womans University, said Pyongyang was gaining combat experience and feedback from Russia on improving its weapons, threatening advantages long held by Seoul.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis threatens to erode South Korea\u2019s technological and training advantages, meaning Seoul should plan more diverse and frequent defense exercises with the U.S. and Japan,\u201d Easley said.<\/p>\n

However, Washington\u2019s political direction could complicate any expansion. U.S. President Donald Trump ordered the reduction of August\u2019s Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise from 11 days to five, raising questions about whether additional drills would have White House backing.<\/p>\n

Sean King, an Asia-focused analyst at Park Strategies, said Brunson appeared at odds with Trump\u2019s approach.<\/p>\n

\u201cGen. Brunson appears to be out of step with President Trump here, as the president\u2019s own recent pronouncements and actions demonstrate he wants fewer U.S.-ROK military exercises (not more),\u201d King said.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd why would Seoul commit to any reimagined, expanded exercises if it now knows Trump may well again curtail, or cancel, them on a seeming whim?\u201d <\/p>\n

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Gen. Xavier Brunson, commander of U.S. Forces Korea, speaks during a luncheon hosted by the American Chamber of Commerce in Korea at Mondrian Seoul Itaewon in Yongsan District, Seoul, Oct. 21. Yonhap Seoul\u2019s military says it will maintain its two major annual exercises with Washington while continuing joint training throughout the year, following a call…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":{"facebook_2277560469115098_106292521332774":"","twitter_aToxNzczMzI3Njk4OTg4ODUxMjAxOw==_1773327698988851200":""},"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_templately_pack_id":"","_templately_imported_at":"","_templately_source":"","_templately_import_session_id":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11761","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-korea"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t