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 on Thursday.
The Combined Forces Command (CFC) of both countries reported that the Combined Joint Support Training (CJST) took place from July 13 to 16 near Pohang in North Gyeongsang Province and in Hongcheon County, Gangwon Province.
The CJST is intended to strengthen both forces’ ability to sustain military operations during contingencies on the peninsula. The maneuvers, which involved a record number of personnel and equipment, included 4,400 personnel—2,400 South Koreans and 2,000 Americans—and the deployment of about 600 pieces of equipment, including naval vessels and aircraft, Yonhap reported.
During the exercises, participants conducted an interoperability check with a joint landing drill, along with medical support and casualty-evacuation exercises using South Korean KUH-1M medical helicopters and U.S. C-130 Hercules transport aircraft.
These exercises, conducted regularly since 2017, are part of training to improve the efficiency of military logistical distribution, covering personnel, fuel and equipment for combat units.
The drills followed Seoul’s statement two weeks ago that it maintains “close coordination” with the United States after North Korea’s most recent projectile launches.
Lee Kyung Ho, deputy spokesperson for the South Korean Ministry of Defense, said that “South Korea and the United States detected and tracked in real time the multiple projectiles launched by North Korea (…), maintaining close coordination for all contingencies.”
Lee said the projectiles were classified as “tactical weapons” and asserted that the bilateral information-sharing and coordination mechanism with the United States “continues to function perfectly,” according to Yonhap.
“Our armed forces maintain round-the-clock readiness 24 hours a day,” Lee emphasized, asking that the commitment of South Korean and U.S. military personnel to the country’s defense and to public safety not be questioned.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un oversaw the tests, which coincided with the 76th anniversary of the Korean War (1950–1953), and used new artillery systems and missiles. 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, since the 1953 conflict ended with an armistice rather than a peace treaty.
North Korea announced last Friday that it will strengthen its nuclear forces in both quality and quantity as part of its military modernization, a decision taken at 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 both in quality and quantity and to proceed with a plan to standardize, specialize and modernize military bases.” The report added that technical infrastructure for combat systems will be modernized and the construction of “modern naval bases” will be accelerated.
(With reporting from Europa Press)