The USA and South Korea are ramping up their military exercises amid increased tension of allies with North Korea.
US Army Apache attack helicopters stationed in South Korea are conducting live-fire training with rockets and guns for the first time since 2019.
The Rodriguez Live Fire Complex near the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) along the border saw training restart after being suspended in previous years due to complaints from locals about noise and safety issues.
Video and pictures made public by the US army throughout the last week revealed AH-64E Apache helicopters participating in certification training.
Crews are practicing with the AGM-114 Hellfire missile, Hydra 70 rocket, and 30mm cannon during both the day and the night, according to the US army 2nd Infantry division tweet.
The Military Exercises also coincide with the announcement by the allies that they will resume other live field joint exercises that had been toned back for several years due to COVID-19 and efforts to defuse tension with the North.
Yoon Suk-year, the president of South Korea since May, had vowed to “normalize” joint exercises and increase deterrence against the North, during the term of his office.
Also, in response to the complaints, a Defense Ministry official said, the Apache drills will also monitor how much noise they make,
An inquiry for comment was not immediately answered by US Forces Korea (USFK).
A statement by a former senior US defense official reiterated that the lack of live-fire training had been a “major problem” for US pilots and crews. Speaking on anonymity, the official added that the US military was less ready by the time they left (South Korea) than when they arrived.
He continued, the Pentagon paid to send Apache crews back to the United States every three months for certification drills when there were no live-fire drills.
According to him, the issue got worse when the US military permanently stationed an Apache unit that had previously been on rotation in South Korea, in February.
The former official claimed that Yoon was likely to make additional advancements and asserted that the Moon Jae-in administration had no interest in resolving the political issues and restarting the drills.
