S. Korea, US Hold Joint Live-fire, Maneuver Drills

South Korea and the United States have been staging a combined live-fire and maneuver exercise involving a US battalion deployed for their key summertime military exercise, the South Korean Army said Wednesday. The six-day exercise was held from Aug. 9 to 14 in Pocheon, around 30 kilometers south of the inter-Korean border, the Army said. Some 320 troops were mobilized to form a joint combat team for the exercise. Apache helicopters from the US 2nd Infantry Division/ROK-US Combined Division were also deployed for the training, said the Army, according to YONHAP. Troops from the Fort Bliss, Texas-based 1st Armored Division have been deployed in conjunction with the Ulchi Freedom Shield, a major combined military exercise set to take place from Aug. 19 to 29. Source: Qatar News Agency