Eighth Army trains for new mission during UFG
By Walter T. Ham IV, Eighth Army Public Affairs
Eighth Army trains for new mission during UFG
YONGSAN GARRISON, South Korea - Eighth Army will train for its new mission as an operational Field Army headquarters during Exercise Ulchi Freedom Guardian Aug. 20 - 31.
Together with its Republic of Korea allies and joint partners, Eighth Army will train for missions across the full spectrum of unified land operations.
The command post exercise, which is defensive in nature, will leverage the lessons learned from the U.S. military's operations in Iraq and Afghanistan during the past decade.
"This exercise enables us to confront and defeat a wide variety of simulated threats," said Eighth Army Deputy Commanding General for Operations Maj. Gen. Walter M. Golden, a native of Salida, Colo.
"UFG is also a great opportunity for U.S. Active, Reserve and National Guard forces to conduct some tough and realistic training together with the ROK military," said Golden. "We train like we fight here in Korea and that means training with the entire combined, joint and total force team."
Golden said Ulchi Freedom Guardian ensures that Eighth Army and the ROK-U.S. Alliance remain ready for any crisis or contingency.
"Our readiness directly contributes to security on the peninsula and stability in the region," said Golden, "and this exercise ensures that we are ready to deter aggression or to fight and win, if deterrence fails."
Originally called Ulchi Focus Lens, UFG is a regularly scheduled exercise that takes place around the same time every year. It is the second of two annual peninsula-wide exercises.
Ulchi Freedom Guardian is one of the largest computer simulation exercises in the world, involving units and personnel from bases in the United States and across the Pacific region.
The exercise is named after Ulchi Mundeok, an early Korean military leader who repelled an invasion by China's Sui Dynasty in the 7th century.