South Korea and U.S. Conclude Key Ulchi Freedom Shield Summer Drills

South Korea and the United States have wrapped up their annual Ulchi Freedom Shield (UFS) joint military drills an 11-day campaign conducted from August 18 to August 28, 2025 designed to strengthen the allies’ collective defense posture amid ongoing tensions with North Korea. Approximately 18,000 South Korean troops participated in this year's exercise, which combined computer-simulated scenarios with live field training across land, sea, air, cyber, and space domains. Notably, more than 40 joint training modules were scheduled, although about half were postponed to September to help ease rising inter-Korean diplomatic sensitivities

The UFS exercise also featured a major civil defense component, mobilizing 580,000 civilians across South Korea in drills aimed at reinforcing readiness against threats like drone attacks and cybersecurity breaches. An anti-air raid alert drill was conducted nationwide as part of these civil defense initiatives.

Despite Pyongyang’s alarmist rhetoric North Korea decried the drills as provocative no significant military provocations were reported during the exercises. South Korean officials maintained that the drills were strictly defensive, underscoring the continued strength of the U.S. ROK alliance and their joint readiness to deter any aggression