As South Korea reported more than 500 new cases of the COVID-19 virus, the U.S. and South Korean militaries announced they would postpone a joint exercise that would have brought troops from both countries in close contact in what’s known as a “command post” exercise.
The move was anticipated and requested yesterday by Gen. Park Hanki, chairman of the joint chiefs of staff of the Republic of Korea, and agreed to by U.S. Korea Commander Gen. Robert Abrams.
“In light of the ROK government’s declaration of the highest alert level ‘severe’ on COVID-19, the ROK-US Alliance made the decision to postpone the combined command post training for the ROK-US Combined Forces Command until further notice,” said a statement issued by U.S. Forces Korea.
Wednesday saw another 505 cases of infection reported in South Korea and the passage of a law by the country’s National Assembly increasing fines for violators of self-isolation and adding the possibility of a year in prison.
“Despite the postponement of combined training, the ROK-US alliance remains committed to providing a credible military deterrence and maintaining a robust combined defense posture to protect the ROK against any threat,” the U.S. military statement said.
Read more from our senior writer on defense and national security in today’s edition of Jamie McIntyre’s Daily on Defense.
