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CAMP HUMPHREYS, SOUTH KOREA – Personnel from Special Operations Command Korea completed two weeks’ worth of forensics, entry, and specialized tactics training with South Korean counterparts near Jeju City, Republic of Korea between May 7-23, 2025.
The training events continue a decades-long relationship between U.S. special operations forces and their ROK Allies with the intent of advancing skills to meet mutual homeland defense needs.
The need for defense readiness stems from North Korea’s weapons of mass destruction program advancement, conventional military build-ups, increased gray-zone and irregular activities, unprecedented malicious cyber-based activities, and the Kim regime’s propensity for leveraging other nations in the Northeast Asia region for their own transactional and belligerent purposes.
“Our first priority is to ensure the defense of our homelands,” reaffirmed Brig. Gen. Derek N. Lipson, SOCKOR commander. “We do this every day through a ready, capable, and combined special operations force that deters aggression, competes below the level of armed conflict, and will prevail in crisis or conflict if our adversaries ever miscalculate our commitment to a peaceful and stable Indo-Pacific region.”
Divided into classroom and practical application programs of instruction, the two weeks of training advanced the continuum of readiness Lipson emphasizes remains critical for ensuring a credible deterrent force and stability in the region.
“When I think of what it takes to bring a fully trained and equipped operator with their appropriate enablers into a fight, we can’t expect to surge readiness when a crisis hits,” said Lipson. “For any future crisis response, which is our no fail mission in SOF, our nations’ ability to win is based on the investment in hardware, capabilities, and most importantly the people and relationships we have right now.”
The combined teams near Jeju City conducted various instructional blocks focused on forensics activities, small unit tactics, extending cyber-based options to the tactical edge, and the ability to identify chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear material.
Through this training, Lipson envisions a ready force that meets the needs of senior leaders looking to compete below the level of armed conflict while also meeting the broader defense and security needs that maintain a peaceful and stable Indo-Pacific region.
Recently, Gen. Xavier Brunson, U.S. Forces Korea, United Nations Command, Combined Forces Command commander emphasized the geographic proximity of USFK to the DPRK, Russia, and PRC and the command’s ability to provide options to the nation’s most senior leaders.
Additionally, Brunson stated the command’s ability to impose costs on adversaries in competition and crisis should be factored in to how the leaders of those nations perceive USFK’s role in the region. For Brunson, the unquestionable sentiment he wants adversaries to arrive at is that today is not the day to disrupt peace and stability in the region.
“In any conflict, time and distance are pervasive adversaries,” said Brunson. “We can, however, leverage [USFK’s] geography and positional advantage to great effect. Our presence in the region gives our adversaries pause and ultimately supports the defense of the homeland from freedom’s front yard.”
As the special operations proponent for USFK, SOCKOR enables a ready and capable SOF to meet national defense requirements in Northeast Asia while upholding Alliance commitments with the ROK.
The personnel at SOCKOR routinely train with ROK and multinational counterparts to meet national defense requirements in support of the ironclad U.S.-ROK Alliance and meet the needs of senior leaders.
For more information on the routine training SOCKOR conducted on Jeju, view the Defense Visual Information Distribution Service at: https://www.dvidshub.net/image/9032019/us-sof-rok-coast-guard-conduct-bilateral-forensics-cbrn-identification-training-jeju
| Date Taken: | 05.28.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 05.28.2025 00:13 |
| Story ID: | 498996 |
| Location: | JEJU CITY, JEJUDO [CHEJU-DO], KR |
| Web Views: | 181 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, U.S., ROK personnel enhance counter gray zone burden sharing through routine SOF core activity training, by Maj. Christopher Mesnard, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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