US begins large military drill with South Korea while waging war in the Middle East [View all]

Source: AP

By KIM TONG-HYUNG
Updated 8:42 PM CDT, March 8, 2026
Leer en español

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — The United States began a large military exercise with South Korea involving thousands of troops Monday while also waging an escalating war in the Middle East.

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff has said about 18,000 Korean troops will take part in Freedom Shield, which runs through March 19. U.S. Forces Korea hasn’t confirmed the number of American troops participating in the training in South Korea.

The allies’ combined exercise comes amid South Korean media speculation that Washington is relocating some assets from South Korea to support fighting against Iran.

U.S. Forces Korea said last week it would not comment on specific movements of military assets for security reasons. South Korean officials also declined to comment on the reports that some U.S. Patriot anti-missile systems and other equipment were being moved to the Middle East, but they said there would be no meaningful impact on the allies’ combined defense posture.



Read more: https://apnews.com/article/us-korea-freedom-shield-north-korea-iran-53caaf3a57e175e8d247c9c934aa0fea