The United States and South Korea begin their combined military maneuvers today at a time of special tension on the peninsula marked by North Korea's arms escalation and repeated missile tests, which seems to be also preparing a nuclear test.
“The Republic of Korea (official name of South Korea) and the United States have decided to conduct their combined command post training (CCPT) for the first half of 2022 for 9 days starting on April 18,” the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) explained in a statement.
The training, which is based on computer simulations, starts just a day after Pyonyang announced that it has tested a new projectile designed to equip tactical nuclear weapons.
In addition to this test, there are another 12 tests carried out this year (a record number), including that of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), the first of its kind since 2017.
In apparent response to that test, for the first time in five years Washington decided to send one of its aircraft carriers to perform maneuvers in the vicinity of the peninsula.
In turn, the regime is expected to commemorate the founding of its army on April 25 with a military parade in which it could unveil new capabilities, while satellites continue to detect activity indicating that Pyonyang is preparing its first nuclear test in just over four years.
Given this scenario, some analysts considered that the CCPT starting today could also involve the deployment of assets on the ground in order to show military muscle.
But the JCS has specified that the CCPT “is a defensive command post exercise that uses computer simulations and will not include actual training maneuvers with soldiers.”
Pyongyang has normally condemned these exercises, which seek to implement operational procedures in the event of war (including repelling an invasion and counterattack), claiming that they are a test to invade its territory.
Faced with a scenario that is increasingly reminiscent of the peaks of tension reached in 2017, when Pyongyang and Washington threatened each other with armed attacks, the US envoy for nuclear negotiations, Sung Kim, arrived today in Seoul for a five-day trip.
Kim will meet with South Korean authorities to discuss the situation at a time when North Korea remains completely isolated from abroad by the pandemic and shows no willingness to resume a blocked dialogue since 2019.
(With information from EFE)
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