The armed forces of the United States and South Korea carried out this week their largest joint military and logistical exercises to date on the Korean Peninsula; the drills are scheduled to conclude this Thursday.
The two countries’ Combined Forces Command (CFC) reported that the Combined Joint Support Training (CJST) was held from 13 to 16 July near Pohang in North Gyeongsang Province and in Hongcheon County, Gangwon.
The CJST aimed to strengthen both militaries’ ability to sustain operations during a contingency on the peninsula. The exercises featured a record number of participants and equipment, involving about 4,400 personnel — roughly 2,400 South Korean and 2,000 U.S. troops — and the deployment of some 600 pieces of equipment, including naval vessels and aircraft, Yonhap reported.
Activities included an interoperability check through a joint amphibious landing exercise, as well as medical support and casualty evacuation drills using South Korean KUH-1M medevac helicopters and U.S. C-130 Hercules transport aircraft.
These exercises, conducted regularly since 2017, are part of ongoing training to improve the efficiency of military logistical distribution, including personnel, fuel and equipment destined for combat units.
The drills followed Seoul’s statement two weeks ago that it is maintaining “close coordination” with the United States after recent projectile launches by the North Korean regime.
Lee Kyung Ho, deputy spokesperson for the South Korean Defense Ministry, said, “South Korea and the United States detected and tracked in real time the multiple projectiles launched by North Korea (…), maintaining close coordination for any contingency.”
Lee added that the projectiles were classified as “tactical weapons systems” and affirmed that the bilateral information-sharing and coordination mechanism with the United States “continues to operate perfectly,” Yonhap reported.
“Our armed forces maintain a constant 24-hour state of readiness,” Lee emphasized, asking that the commitment of South Korean and U.S. forces to the country’s defense and to public safety not be questioned.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un oversaw tests that coincided with the 76th anniversary of the Korean War (1950–1953), involving new artillery and missile systems. Kim reiterated his intent to instill “fear” and “unease” in “the enemy,” a reference to Seoul.
South Korean President Lee Jae-myung has advocated since June 2025 for diplomatic engagement with Pyongyang, but formal talks have not yet begun. The two Koreas remain technically at war, as the 1953 conflict ended with an armistice rather than a peace treaty.
Last Friday, North Korea announced a plan to strengthen its nuclear force in both quality and quantity as part of its military modernization. The decision was taken during a plenary meeting of the ruling party’s central military commission.
State news agency KCNA reported that the regime agreed “to strengthen the nuclear force in quality and quantity and to continue standardizing, specializing and modernizing military bases.” The agency added that technical infrastructure for combat systems will be upgraded and construction of “modern naval bases” will be accelerated.
(With information from Europa Press)