The U.S. Eighth Army, the ground component for U.S. Forces Korea and Combined Forces Command, is participating in Freedom Shield 26, a 10-day defensive exercise conducted by the United States and the Republic of Korea (ROK) that began on Monday.
The purpose of the exercise is to modernize the ROK-U.S. alliance, enhance readiness and shape the security environment. The Eighth Army will train alongside the ROK Army to strengthen their partnership and ensure regional stability.
This year’s exercise will be a combined airborne operation featuring soldiers from the 11th Airborne Division deploying from Alaska. Paratroopers will conduct a strategic airborne insertion into the Korean theater of operations intended to demonstrate the United States’ ability to seamlessly integrate with ROK and U.S. forces on the ground and rapidly project combat power across the Indo-Pacific.
ROK and U.S. forces will train together in other complex scenarios throughout the 10 days. The 2nd Infantry Division/ROK-U.S. Combined Division will participate in Talon Reach, a combined live-fire air assault exercise to sharpen joint combat capabilities. The 11th Engineer Battalion and ROK Army’s 16th Mechanized Infantry Division will participate in a combined wet gap crossing, ensuring total freedom of maneuver. The 65th Medical Brigade will lead a combined medical evacuation exercise.