Photo Gallery Summer 2001.html

Meanwhile, training maintains the strength of our alliance, and good training is truly the backbone of our alliance. We accomplish this through three world-class exercises: ULCHI FOCUS LENS, FOAL EAGLE, and RECEPTION, STAGING, ONWARD MOVEMENT, AND INTEGRATION. Each of these annual exercises is critical to achieve warfighting readiness.

U.S. Marines practice drinking water through masks designed to protect them from possible North Korean chemical-biological warfare attacks.

Official U.S. Marine Corps Photo

A U.S. Army M1A1 Abrams main battle tank fires during live fire training in Korea.

Photo by Spec. Sharron Grey, USA

A U.S. Army soldier signals members of his scout platoon as they patrol the Korean DMZ area between north and south.

Official U.S. Air Force Photo

Most significantly, these exercises integrate on-peninsula forces with deploying active and reserve forces. We also incorporate logistics, at the strategic and operational levels, as major objectives to each training event. Additionally, these exercises maximize simulation technology along with air, sea, and ground maneuvers to allow optimal evaluation of our war plans. ULCHI FOCUS LENS is the largest simulation exercise in the world, involving players in both the continental United States and Korea. It is our premier training event and capstone exercise for the year.

Meanwhile, we have stood witness to unprecedented events over the past year and half. The most significant was the historic June 2000 summit between ROK President Kim Dae Jung and North Korea leader Kim Jong Il. This was the first time since the Korean War that the leaders of this divided peninsula have met. The summit was followed by the initiation of ministerial-level security consultations, family reunions, and the visit of then-U.S. Secretary of State Madeline Albright to Pyongyang. Unbelievable! Presently, Kim Jong Il plans avisit to Seoul.

Despite the changing times, uncertainty still exists; the North Korean military threat remains real and dangerous. Consequently, North Korea remains the major security threat in Northeast Asia. Unfortunately, North Korea’s dogged adherence to a “military-first” policy – when viewed against the backdrop of a nation on the brink of complete economic and social collapse – is problematic.

The problem is that the military-first policy provides the only means by which the regime can survive. In the meantime, the military continues to grow in both conventional and asymmetric forces. Today, North Korea has the world’s fifth largest military, with the third largest army, and the world’s largest Special Operations Force. Moreover, North Korea has weapons of mass destruction and continues to develop asymmetric threats.

Nonetheless, we strongly believe our powerful alliance and friendship has brought the North to the bargaining table. More importantly, as our governments chart the diplomatic course in how to engage the North, ouralliance remains steadfast in its readiness. As President Kim Dae Jung said recently, “Not even an awl-punctured hole in the Korea-U.S. coordination should be allowed.”

Clearly, those are powerful words and signify the trust and faith our two nations share for one another as good friends and allies. Strength through friendship.

As good friends and allies, U.S. Forces, Korea (USFK) continues its legacy as a proud partner of the ROK-U.S. alliance. We are truly America’s best combined and joint warfighters, committed to preserving freedom in the Republic of Korea. Our mainstay, of course, is our people!

Our people – American soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines, civilians, and their families – are our nation’s most precious resource. As U.S. General Creighton Abrams once said, “People are not in the [military]; they are the [military!]” Therefore, people remain first and foremost in our training, readiness, and quality of life programs.