U.S. South Korean militaries kick off joint exercise

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Larry W. Carpenter Jr.
  • 7th Air Force Public Affairs
OSAN AIR BASE, South Korea (AFNS) --  American and South Korean military members kicked off Exercise Key Resolve/FOAL Eagle 10 March 8 and will train for 10 days here.

The annual joint/combined command post and field training exercise is defense-oriented and designed to ensure the South Korean and U.S. alliance is prepared to defend against outside aggression.

"Key Resolve is our combined Joint Chief of Staff exercise where we train and prepare for conflict," said Col. Danny Wolf, the 7th AF director of operations and plans. "It's a command and control exercise where we have Combined Forces Command working in concert with the ROK, JCS and all the other components."

The exercise gives leaders the opportunity to provide valuable training to all military members involved.

"The exercise keeps us current for right now," Colonel Wolf said. "The big picture is that the staffs turn over frequently. This is a new staff since the last major exercise, so this allows us to go through our processes to make sure we stay in sync with command and control of our forces."

The final aspect of Key Resolve/FOAL Eagle is it exercises the command and control of the forces involved and improves the ability of the alliance to fight as a combined force.

"Every time we exercise we get better and are able to refine our procedures and gain a greater depth on our thinking to accomplish the plan," Colonel Wolf said. "We expect to resolve lessons learned from the last exercise and close that loop and ensure we are as prepared as possible."

The exercise is chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff-sponsored; U.S. Pacific Command-directed and involves the United Nations Command, Combined Forces Command and U.S. Forces Korea Command.

Servicemembers from across the globe descended on the Korean Peninsula, including Osan Air Base, to provide their particular skill sets and ensure the overall success of Key Resolve/FOAL Eagle 2010.

"There are skill sets from every function of the Air Force taking part," Colonel Wolf said. "They are here to conduct the Air Force mission using a full spectrum across the Air Force inventory to apply combat power."

"We have a very good working relationship with our ROK air force counterparts, and we look forward to refining our processes and having a great learning exercise," Colonel Wolf said.