US forces step up readiness after surge in North Korean missile launches
By Rachel Nostrant
Mar 15, 03:17 PM
North Korea on Feb. 27 launched a suspected ballistic missile into the sea, South Korean and Japanese officials said, in an apparent resumption of its weapons tests following the end of the Winter Olympics in China, the North's last major ally and economic pipeline. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
U.S. forces in the Korean Peninsula are ramping up troop readiness in response to North Korea’s recent increase of missile launches since the beginning of the new year.
“Following the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea recent increase of missile launch frequency in 2022 and U.S. Indo-Pacific Command’s enhanced ballistic missile defense directive, the 35th Air Defense Artillery Brigade stationed in the Republic of Korea - increased the intensity of their certification exercise recently to demonstrate USFK’s capabilities and commitment to defend the ROK against any threat or adversary,” a press release from U.S. Forces Korea read Tuesday.
As part of the armistice and wartime requirements set forth by the Republic of Korea-U.S. Alliance, the 35th ADA Patriot unit moved to a remote location, maintained a “wartime defensive position,” set up the Patriot missile system and executed air and missile defense operations in a combat simulation, the release stated.
“While this type of training is routinely conducted by U.S. Patriot batteries across the ROK, its increased intensity of its certification underscores the seriousness USFK takes against the DPRK’s recent missile launch behavior,” U.S. Forces Korea said.
https://www.militarytimes.com/flashpoints/2022/03/15/us-forces-step-up-readiness-after-surge-in-north-korean-missile-launches/
