The United States and South Korea started their annual joint military exercise, Ulchi Freedom Shield, on August 17, 2026. The exercise will run for 11 days, concluding on August 27, and will involve about 18,000 South Korean troops alongside US forces [1, 2, 3, 4, 5].
For the first time, the US Eighth Army, the main US Army force stationed in South Korea, explicitly referenced the "First Island Chain" in its exercise statement. The First Island Chain is a strategic line running from Japan through Taiwan to the Philippines, seen as a key element in US efforts to counter China’s influence in the Indo-Pacific region [6, 5].
The Eighth Army also linked the rapid distribution and preparation of pre-positioned Army stocks (APS-4) with power projection capabilities inside the First Island Chain. APS-4 includes equipment such as tanks, armored vehicles, self-propelled artillery, and trucks that are stored near frontlines to enable rapid deployment of personnel from the US to combat zones [1, 2, 3, 4, 5].
The exercise emphasizes strengthening "Fight Tonight" combat readiness, modernizing the South Korea-US alliance, and shaping the security environment in Northeast Asia. The US Eighth Army said, "The training will focus on enhancing 'Fight Tonight' readiness, alliance modernization, and shaping a security environment in Northeast Asia" [1, 2, 6, 3, 4, 5]. It further stated, "This will demonstrate the alliance's ability to rapidly project power and control key terrain within the First Island Chain" [4].
South Korean defense experts interpret the Eighth Army’s mention of the First Island Chain and Northeast Asia security environment as signals that the US military’s role and logistics in South Korea may extend beyond the Korean Peninsula to include the wider Indo-Pacific region and possibly Taiwan. South Korean defense expert Shen Dawei said, "The 'alliance modernization' means the US forces in Korea will seek more strategic flexibility beyond the Korean Peninsula, while 'shaping Northeast Asia security' reflects expanded strategic roles" [1].
However, US Forces Korea officially denied that the exercise scenario includes preparations for Taiwan contingencies or conflicts with China. A US Forces Korea spokesman, Ryan Donald, said, "This exercise aims to address security threats facing the Korean Peninsula and is not designed around Taiwan contingencies or regional conflicts with China" [1, 2, 6, 4, 5].
The joint exercise follows the announcement on August 10 of its schedule and details and the August 14 statement by the US Eighth Army confirming participation and the new references to the First Island Chain and APS-4 power projection capabilities [1, 2, 6, 3, 4, 5].
