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Eighth Army begins annual exercise Freedom Shield 2025

By Eighth Army Public Affairs OfficeMarch 10, 2025

U.S. Army Engineers Complete Wet Gap Crossing with the ROK Army
ROK Soldiers assigned to the 5th Corps Engineering Brigade River Crossing Company and Soldiers assigned to the 11th Engineer Battalion, 2nd Infantry Division Sustainment Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division ROK/U.S. Combined Division, complete construction on a joint bridge, during a combined wet gap crossing exercise, near the Imjin River in Paju-si, Gyeonggi-do from March 11-20, 2024. ROK and U.S. Army units utilized aviation, armor, air defense, chemical, biological and defense capabilities to train the security and protection of the site during the exercise that was designed to verify interoperability through the construction of a joint pontoon bridge. (U.S. Army photo by Pak, Chin-U) (Photo Credit: Chin-U Pak) VIEW ORIGINAL

CAMP HUMPHREYS, South Korea — The Eighth Army began its portion of Freedom Shield 2025 on March 9, 2025.

Freedom Shield is an 11-day exercise conducted by the Republic of Korea and the United States consisting of training to reflect the Korea Theater of Operations — a combined, joint, multi-domain and interagency operating environment. The exercise scheduled to take place March 10-21, 2025.

Eighth Army along with the ROK Army are the ground component of U.S. Forces Korea and Combined Forces Command. Extensive combined training is conducted on both training ranges and within combined operations centers throughout South Korea. All six of Eighth Army’s major subordinate commands participate.

Field training events throughout FS25 include urban combat operations, field hospital operations, mass casualty treatment and evacuation, field artillery exercises, air assault training, wet gap crossing, air defense artillery asset deployment and validation, and a joint assault exercise with the U.S. Marine Corps.

The command and control portion with the ROK Army allows for seamless coordination and combined operations, enhancing Eighth Army’s overall defense capabilities.

These multi-domain training exercises strengthens interoperability, reinforce the alliance’s combined defense posture and increase combat readiness and lethality.

Eighth Army exercise participants include 2nd Infantry Division, 19th Expeditionary Sustainment Command, 501st Military Intelligence Brigade, 65th Medical Brigade, 1st Tactical Theater Signal Brigade and 35th Air Defense Artillery Brigade.

Freedom Shield 25 underscores the enduring military partnership between the ROK and the U.S. and is implemented in the spirit of the Oct. 1, 1953, ROK-U.S. Mutual Defense Treaty and in support of the Armistice Agreement fortifying the combined defense posture and enhanced response capabilities. It reinforces the role of the alliance as the lynchpin for regional peace and security, reaffirming the ironclad commitment between the United States and the Republic of Korea to defend their homelands.

Imagery from Freedom Shield 2025 will be available on DVIDS as it is released.

For more information, contact the Eighth Army Public Affairs Office at 0503-355-8275 or 010-4142-1036.

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