South Korea and US hold drills to deter North Korea — Korea Herald

South Korea and the United States held the Iron Mace command-post military exercise in Seoul, dedicated to integrating conventional and nuclear capabilities to deter threats from North Korea. According to the military, the drills took place from September 29 to October 2 at the headquarters of South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Extended deterrence

As Korea Herald reports, participants in the exercise likely discussed strengthening Washington's extended deterrence against North Korea's nuclear and missile threats. They also discussed joint planning for the use of South Korea's conventional capabilities to support US strategic operations in the event of a contingency.

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Exercise format

The Iron Mace exercise was launched in August 2024. The publication notes that under the liberal administration of President Lee Jae Myung, it was held behind closed doors, apparently to avoid provoking North Korea. The drills are conducted in accordance with the guidelines of the Nuclear Consultative Group, adopted after the April 2023 summit between former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and former US President Joe Biden.

Iron Mace was held after Seoul and Washington reduced the scale of the joint Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise in August on the order of US President Donald Trump. At the same time, other joint drills, including the trilateral Freedom Edge exercise involving Japan and the United States, took place as planned.