Americans and South Koreans Train by Building a Bridge in ‘Real War’ Exercise

MAPO-RI, South Korea — North Korea’s Kim Jong-un had the answer as the commander of American forces in South Korea extolled the alliance during a complex joint exercise about 12 miles below the demilitarized zone separating the two Koreas. No sooner had General Xavier Brunson praised the success of American forces in piecing together a 25-section bridge across the Imjin River — which flows from North Korea to South Korea — than Mr. Kim launched at least 10 ballistic missiles into the waters off the North’s east coast.Mr. Kim ordered the barrage as American and Korean army engineers were working on the 600-foot-long bridge, after which American and South Korean tanks and Stryker armored vehicles showed off their strength in annual “Freedom Shield” exercises. It was the third time this year that North Korea has tested its ballistic missilesMr. Kim has yet to issue a statement or put out the usual photograph of himself and his 13-year-old daughter at a missile launch, but the missiles were widely seen as North Korea’s response to the exercises that Mr. Kim’s younger sister, Yo-jong, has warned “could lead to unimaginably dire consequences.”General Brunson avoided any allusion to North Korea as he faced correspondents after walking up and down the bridge, praising and thanking Korean and American soldiers. They were mostly from the historic Second United States Infantry Division, which includes Korean and American elements working together not just in war games but full-time as a combined unit led by an American commander and Korean deputy commander.The general cited the fact that “we can train and build readiness across our formations and we can do this together” as “the envy of the world.” That said, he strode away, accompanied by a phalanx of aides, while other soldiers barred journalists from approaching him with questions. The refusal to take questions indicated the sensitivities as American missiles are being deployed from South Korea to the Middle East to support the American-Israeli war against Iran, depriving South Korea of defenses needed if war were to break out again with North Korea. Nor do the Americans want to go on record speculating about chances of dialogue with Mr.Kim, who has declared the South “the enemy” and refuses attempts at dialogue by President Trump and South Korea’s President Lee Jae-myung.The rapid construction of the bridge marked the first time that correspondents were able to watch maneuvers by South Korean and American forces in this year’s Freedom Shield exercises. Koreans built much of the floating bridge, integrating their contribution with America’s aluminum bridge system, before testing the bridge under simulated combat conditions.The exercise began at dawn with Korean and American forces landing on the opposite side of the river, supposedly cleaning out enemy forces. Chinook helicopters carried giant sections of the bridge, depositing them downstream, while huge vehicles slid into the water, turning in seconds from land vehicles into portions of the bridge. Trucks carried still more pieces, dumping them into the water at the riverbank.American army officers, watching the scene, said they were confident the bridge could be built in an hour even as soldiers on land and aboard helicopters fended off bombardment by enemy drones and missiles. The exercise, said General Brunson, proved “the asymmetric advantage that we enjoy across the Indo-Pacific.”

Americans and South Koreans Train by Building a Bridge in ‘Real War’ Exercise

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