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Key Resolve 2013 begins

  • Published
YONGSAN GARRISON, SEOUL, Republic of Korea --  The Republic of Korea - United States Combined Forces Command exercise Key Resolve begins today and will end March 21.

More than 3,000 U.S. participants from the Republic of Korea and the United States are taking part in the exercise. About 2,500 of these U.S. participants are coming from the U.S. to include the U.S. Pacific Command (PACOM) military headquarters in Hawaii. PACOM plans to participate in activities like Key Resolve, naval training exercises around Korea, and demonstrations of extended deterrence to improve the capacity of the U.S. -ROK Alliance to deter aggression and to reinforce the United States' commitment to the Republic of Korea.

"Exercise Key Resolve is a critical exercise in strengthening the readiness of combined Republic of Korea and U.S. forces," said Gen. James D. Thurman, Combined Forces Command commander. "This year is particularly important, because it is the first time the ROK Joint Chiefs of Staff have planned and executed this combined exercise. In doing so, they are taking great strides to assume wartime operational control of forces in Dec. 2015."

Exercise Key Resolve is an annual combined and joint command post exercise that is executed under various scenarios with the purpose of honing the skills necessary to defend the Republic of Korea by improving ROK-U.S. combined forces' operational capabilities, coordinating and executing the deployment of U.S. reinforcements, and maintaining ROK military combat capabilities. The exercise is designed to increase Alliance readiness, protect the region, and maintain stability on the Korean Peninsula.

Swedish and Swiss Neutral Nations Supervisory Commission observers will monitor the exercise to ensure it is in compliance with the Armistice Agreement. Five United Nations Command sending states will participate in the exercise: Australia, Canada, Colombia, Denmark, and the United Kingdom.
The United Nations Command notified the North Korean military Feb. 21 of the exercise dates and that Key Resolve is an annual ROK-U.S. combined exercise that is not related to current events on the Korean Peninsula.

Training exercises like Key Resolve are carried out in the spirit of the 1953 ROK-U.S. Mutual Defense Treaty. These exercises highlight the longstanding partnership and enduring friendship between United Nations Command sending state nations, help ensure peace and security on the Peninsula, and reaffirm the U.S. commitment to the region.