The US Air Force in South Korea is conducting a weeklong combat exercise amid growing threats from North Korea, the US Forces Korea said Monday.
Aircraft and personnel assigned to the 51st Fighter Wing in Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, 70 kilometers south of Seoul, are participating in the Exercise Beverly Herd to sharpen their combat skills by simulating sorties in a realistic threat environment, the USFK said in a statement.
The exercise "provides the 51st Fighter Wing with the ability to train with assets that may become critical to the success of our wartime mission," said Col. Andrew Hansen, 51st Fighter Wing commander.
"This particular exercise, among other exercises and operations in the Pacific, continues to demonstrate the United States' commitment to the region and our partnerships."
The quarterly exercise will allow participants to exchange tactics, techniques and procedures, while improving interoperability, and provides opportunities to integrate various forces into coalition and multilateral training from simulated forward operating bases, the statement said.
The exercise is taking place at Osan Air Base from Sunday through Friday, it said. (Yonhap)