Combined Special Operations Forces Complete Freedom Shield 24 Exercise

03.28.2024

Story by Maj. Christopher Mesnard

Special Operations Command Korea

The adage, ‘don’t fight the scenario, fight the problem,’ applies at all levels of military training. During the recent Freedom Shield 24 exercise that took place from Mar. 4-14, 2024, combined special operations elements and personnel in the Republic of Korea maintained the mantra. Centered around multinational staffs in combined command posts, exercises Freedom Shield and Ulchi Freedom Shield, the annual summer equivalent, test headquarters and field elements to solve problems creatively and realistically while also honing their ability to work together.

“The real return on investment for our people is their ability to come together as a combined battle staff, understand and work through the information in the scenario, and then plan unique courses of action based on critical problem solving,” said Brig. Gen. Derek N. Lipson, Special Operations Command Korea commander, United Nations Command Special Operations Component Command commander, and Combined Special Operations Component Command deputy commander. “We challenged the team to think through the problems presented in the exercise, how they would solve them in a real-world context, and then how we would conduct the cross-component coordination with multi-domain effects in mind.”

Throughout Freedom Shield, SOCKOR personnel joined with their ROK counterparts to form the CSOCC staff while also working with various UN Command elements to simulate UNCSOCC roles in the exercise scenarios. The readiness of both special operations commands plays a role in ensuring the credibility of those unique capabilities senior leaders rely on to prevent escalation as a part of a holistic integrated deterrence posture, while remaining ready to prevail against belligerent action if called upon.

A U.S. Air Force MC-130J assigned to the 1st Special Operations Squadron at Okinawa Air Base, Japan, lands on a converted landing strip Mar. 7, 2024, near Namji, Republic of Korea during exercise Freedom Shield 24. Various USAF personnel from the 320th Special Tactics Squadron worked with Republic of Korea Air Force combat controllers, coordinating safe operations on the landing strip. Assigned to the 353rd Special Operations Wing, the 1st SOS enables rapid mobility and special operations capacity throughout the Indo-Pacific region. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Jon McCallum)

A Republic of Korea Air Force combat controller observes a U.S. Air Force MC-130J from the 1st Special Operations Squadron taking off from an alternate landing surface near Namji, Republic of Korea on Mar. 7, 2024, as a part of exercise Freedom Shield 24. The controller worked with USAF counterparts from the 320th Special Tactics Squadron, coordinating the safe landing of MC-130J as a means for remaining proficient in aerial special operations capabilities in austere environments. Operations on ALS’s test and validate the ability for 1st SOS to enable special operations missions throughout the Indo-Pacific Region. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Jon McCallum)

According to Lipson, a credible and trained force in the field is fundamental to the readiness of the command post staff’s ability to meet exercise requirements. Concurrent with the CSOCC and UNCSOCC headquarters training, combined special operations personnel participated in a variety of field training scenarios and events.

Demonstrating the ability to flexibly support special operations requirements on the Korean Peninsula, personnel and equipment from all services and around the Indo-Pacific region participated in Freedom Shield. The deployment of Air Force Special Operations Command MC-130J Commando II aircraft and Airmen based at Kadena Air Base, Japan offered the most visible demonstration of flexible response to the Korean Peninsula.

“I am truly inspired and so very proud of the work our Airmen did during Freedom Shield 24,” said Colonel Shawn Young, 353d Special Operations Wing Commander. “This was a small force that deployed forward to join our Korean allies, but our combined team demonstrated extraordinary interoperability, resilience, and capability that far outmatches our size.”

The training spanned a broad breadth of combined U.S. and ROK special operations capabilities, including MC-130J landings on an alternate surface, over-the-beach training between U.S. Naval Special Warfare and ROK Naval Special Warfare Flotilla personnel, and airborne and infiltration training operations between U.S. Army Special Forces and ROK SWC personnel.

A U.S. Army Special Forces Soldier prepares to conduct a static line jump in support of Freedom Shield 24 training requirements on Mar. 13, 2024, at a drop zone south of Camp Humphreys, Republic of Korea. Enabling the training were U.S. Air Force MC-130Js assigned to the 353rd Special Operations Wing, U.S. Army Special Forces Soldiers, and various ROK SWC personnel in the air and on the ground. The combined team trains together regularly to maintain a high state of readiness in support of mutual defense priorities between the U.S. and ROK. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Jon McCallum)

Republic of Korea Special Warfare Soldiers prepare to conduct a static line jump in support of Freedom Shield 24 training requirements on Mar. 13, 2024, at a drop zone south of Camp Humphreys, Republic of Korea. Enabling the training were U.S. Air Force MC-130Js assigned to the 353rd Special Operations Wing and U.S. Army Special Forces Soldiers, as well as various ROK SWC personnel in the air and on the ground. The combined team trains together regularly to maintain a high state of readiness in support of mutual defense priorities between the U.S. and ROK. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Jon McCallum)

“Whenever we work with our ROK counterparts, we always know to expect a well-trained and proficient partner” said a U.S. Army Special Forces Soldier participating in combined field training events and whose name is withheld for personal security reasons. “It really opens up the training options we can work through and allows us to collaboratively plan out more advanced and specialized scenarios that can be used to meet a range of potential requirements.”

Over the course of Freedom Shield 24, SOCKOR personnel contributed to the broader readiness of the U.S. Forces Korea personnel stationed on the Korean Peninsula in support of mutual defense priorities between the U.S. and ROK homelands.

The presence and readiness of special operations forces on the Korean Peninsula dates back more than 70 years and remains a part of the holistic integrated deterrence posture in the region.

This story was first published on DVIDS