USFK chief calls for more dispersed military drills across S. Korea, citing Ukraine war lessons

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WASHINGTON, Oct. 12 (Yonhap) -- The commander of U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) on Monday called for more geographically dispersed military exercises across South Korea, citing lessons from the war in Ukraine and the need to adapt to evolving battlefield threats.

Gen. Xavier Brunson made the remarks during a panel discussion at the Association of the United States Army's (AUSA) annual conference in Washington, as he discussed ways to improve the readiness and deterrence posture of U.S. and South Korean forces.

"I think what we recognize is that largely the two big exercises every year in Korea focus on large command posts. We've got to move away from that," Brunson said.

The general suggested that the allies consider conducting exercises across a much broader geographical area rather than in fixed locations.

"What would it look like if we train from Jeju all the way up to Gyeonggi Province in the north?" he said. "So just imagine if we trained across the entirety of the peninsula."

Brunson said the allies should take into consideration lessons from the war in Ukraine, where the widespread use of drones and other modern battlefield technologies has left forces operating from fixed positions vulnerable.

He stressed the importance of distributing forces across different locations to reduce their vulnerability to potential attacks. "We won't be moored in place."

Brunson also raised the possibility of conducting more training between the two major annual exercises, rather than focusing preparations primarily on those events.

The general said the USFK had recently conducted a strategic exercise without troops, during which military personnel traveled by helicopter to examine how forces could maneuver across South Korea in the event of a crisis.

During the same discussion, Brunson warned that North Korean forces participating in the war in Ukraine were incorporating lessons learned from actual combat into their training and weapons development programs.

"I think that's one of the most pressing things that we see right now is the fact that we have an adversary who is being trained in the crucible of combat, while we're trying to find better ways to train ourselves to counter the things that they might be learning," he said.

In this file photo, U.S. Gen. Xavier Brunson, commander of U.S. Forces Korea, speaks during a dinner in Seoul on Sept. 17, 2026, to mark the 250th anniversary of American independence. (Yonhap)

odissy@yna.co.kr (END)

USFK chief calls for more dispersed military drills across S. Korea, citing Ukraine war lessons

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华盛顿，10 月 12 日（韩联社）——驻韩美军司令周一呼吁在韩国各地开展更多地域分散的军事演习，并援引了乌克兰战争的教训以及适应不断变化的战场威胁的必要性。

泽维尔·布伦森将军在华盛顿举行的美国陆军协会（AUSA）年会上发表上述言论，当时他正在讨论如何提高美国和韩国军队的战备和威慑态势。

布伦森说：“我认为我们已经意识到，每年在韩国举行的两次大型演习主要侧重于大型指挥所。我们必须摆脱这种模式。”

这位将军建议盟军考虑在更广阔的地理区域内进行演习，而不是在固定地点进行演习。

“如果我们从济州岛一直训练到北部的京畿道，那会是什么样子？”他说道，“想象一下，如果我们在整个半岛上训练会是什么样子。”

布伦森表示，盟军应该吸取乌克兰战争的教训，在乌克兰战争中，无人机和其他现代战场技术的广泛使用使得在固定阵地作战的部队变得脆弱。

他强调，将兵力分散部署在不同地点至关重要，这样可以降低部队遭受潜在袭击的风险。“我们不会原地不动。”

布伦森还提出，可以在两次年度重大演习之间进行更多训练，而不是主要将准备工作集中在这两次演习上。

这位将军表示，驻韩美军最近进行了一次没有部队参与的战略演习，演习期间军事人员乘坐直升机前往韩国各地，以检验在危机情况下部队如何在韩国境内进行机动。

在同一次讨论中，布伦森警告说，参与乌克兰战争的朝鲜军队正在将从实际战斗中吸取的经验教训融入到他们的训练和武器研发计划中。

他说：“我认为我们现在面临的最紧迫的问题之一是，我们的对手正在接受实战训练，而我们却在努力寻找更好的方法来训练自己，以应对他们可能正在学习的东西。”

这张资料照片显示，2026年9月17日，美国驻韩美军司令泽维尔·布伦森将军在首尔出席纪念美国独立250周年晚宴并发表讲话。（韩联社）

odissy@yna.co.kr (完)

驻韩美军司令呼吁在韩国各地开展更分散的军事演习，并援引乌克兰战争的教训。