Ulchi Freedom Guardian in Full Swing

? Airmen at Osan AB, South Korea, along with more than 30,000 US service members across the Korean Peninsula, kicked off Exercise Ulchi Freedom Guardian, a massive command-and-control drill focused on increasing readiness and interoperability of US and South Korean forces, according to a Osan release. Ulchi Freedom Guardian, which runs through Aug. 29, is dubbed the world’s largest computerized C2 exercise and features an unprecedented level of cooperation between US, South Korean, and allied forces to ensure any air campaign adjusts to changes and unexpected events, said Col. Juris Jansons, the US air component combat operations chief, in the Aug. 22 release. The exercise helps operations center teams gain experience in generating effects in real time, he added. “Where all of us get used to being in the trenches working on our particular job, the next level up is seeing how it all coordinates,” said Jansons. Last week, Deputy Defense Secretary Bob Work visited South Korea to receive briefings from senior US and South Korean officials on the exercise and other joint defense efforts.