The United States and South Korea began their annual summer joint military drills in South Korea on Monday. 

Ulchi Freedom Shield, a cooperative military exercise between the two nations, “aims to enhance the combined, joint, all-domain, and interagency operating environment, thereby strengthening the alliance’s response capabilities.” It will involve over 21,000 troops, 18,000 of which are from South Korea, and will focus on defensive maneuvers in case of aggressive military action from North Korea. It goes from Aug. 18 to Aug. 28 and will reportedly focus on fortifying response capabilities in an emergency hostile event on the Korean Peninsula.