S.Korean Army to conduct first joint drills in U.S. mainland

The South Korean Army will conduct its first joint military drills with the United States in the U.S. mainland for four weeks from next week to enhance the combined combat capability, Seoul's Defense Ministry said Thursday.

Defense Ministry spokesman Kim Min-seok told a routine press briefing that the army will stage a joint exercise with the United States from June 9 to July 1 at the National Training Center (NTC) in Fort Irwin, California.

It will be the first joint military exercise between Seoul and Washington to be conducted in the U.S. mainland. The previous drills of the two allies have been carried out on the Korean Peninsula.

The spokesman said a variety of combined arms exercise and joint drills will be held at the training center.

One company of the South Korean Army's mechanized infantry and one unit of special forces, which involve some 170 soldiers, will be dispatched to the U.S. training center for four weeks.

For the first two weeks, the combined forces will conduct exercises for reconnaissance and combat firing, and the attack and defense drill will be staged during the third week. At the last week, reviews on the war game will be made.