Korean media: South Korea and the US conduct nuclear and conventional weapons joint exercises from 15th to 19th

It is reported that the "Iron Mace" (Iron Mace), the first nuclear and conventional weapons joint tabletop exercise (CNI TTX) between South Korea and the US after the Lee Jae-myung government was established, will be held from the 15th to the 19th. At the same time, the trilateral joint military exercise "Freedom Edge", which trains ballistic missile defense and maritime interception, between South Korea, the US, and Japan will also be held in the southern waters of Jeju. In addition, South Korea and the US will also conduct separate training aimed at enhancing capabilities to respond to North Korean nuclear issues.

In July 2024, the South Korea-US Nuclear Consultative Group (NCG) approved the "Korean Peninsula Nuclear Deterrence Joint Operational Guideline", and the Iron Mace exercise was held as part of fulfilling the guideline. The exercise's pre-set content is that when a crisis occurs on the Korean Peninsula, South Korea will support the US's nuclear operations with its conventional weapon capabilities. From late July to early August 2024, the two sides held the first "Iron Mace" exercise, and the second exercise was conducted in April this year.

According to a report by this newspaper on the 10th, the third "Iron Mace" exercise will be led by the US military and held at the Humphreys Base in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province. According to a military source, "As far as I know, with the continuous escalation of the North Korean nuclear threat, the number of participating units and personnel has increased significantly compared to the previous two times." The exercise originally centered around the ROK-US Combined Forces and the Strategic Command, but this time the US Indo-Pacific Command will also participate, further expanding the scale of the exercise. On the 1st and 8th, Kim Jong-un, Chairman of the State Affairs Commission of North Korea, visited the site where the new engine for the new intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) Hwasong-20 is being developed.

During this exercise, South Korea and the US will jointly plan how South Korea can support the US's nuclear operations with its conventional weapon capabilities, and discuss enhanced extended deterrence measures to respond to the North Korean nuclear and missile threats. According to military sources, "After the exercise led by South Korea in the first half of the year, the exercise in the second half will be held as planned," and "during this time, they will discuss plans for South Korea to support the US's nuclear operations in case of a crisis."

However, it is reported that due to North Korea's opposition, South Korea and the US plan to conduct only the exercise without publicizing it. After the first exercise in August 2024, the North Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs' Department of Foreign Policy issued a statement condemning it, saying, "The Iron Mace nuclear operation exercise shows that the nuclear war plan of the United States and South Korea has entered a substantive and specific implementation stage." Since the Lee Jae-myung government took office, North Korea has continuously condemned the joint exercises between South Korea and the US. The field maneuver training scheduled during the "UFS" exercise from August 18th to 28th was postponed by half to this month.

Source: Chosun Ilbo

Original: www.toutiao.com/article/1843047885795396/

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