The United States and South Korea began extensive joint air exercises today, Monday, involving 130 aircraft from both countries to simulate war operations around the clock. The South Korean Air Force indicated that the annual exercises will continue until Friday and will include various versions of the U.S. and South Korean stealth fighter "F-35," among other aircraft.
The goal of the exercises is to enhance the capabilities of joint operations between the two armies by performing major air missions, such as live-fire air-to-ground drills, defensive air operations, and other emergency response training. The South Korean military emphasized in a statement that, "We will maintain peak combat readiness to respond immediately to any provocation from the enemy and punish them decisively through intensive training that simulates an actual scenario."
These exercises come at a time when North Korea is intensifying its military cooperation with Russia, which the United States and its Asian allies condemn as an effort by Pyongyang to bolster its military capabilities while providing weapons support to Moscow. North Korea repeatedly denounces the joint drills between the U.S. and South Korea, viewing them as invasion training and evidence of the hostile policies pursued by Washington and Seoul.
