From City Streets to Chemical Threats: U.S. and ROK Train Side by Side

SOUTH KOREA

08.26.2025

Story by 1st Lt. Jonathan Sauls 

1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division

ROKA/EIGHTH ARMY TRAINING LOCATION, ICHEON, SOUTH KOREA, AUG. 27, 2025

U.S. Soldiers assigned to B Company, 4th Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment, 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, joined Republic of Korea Army Soldiers from the 17th Infantry Division to sharpen urban combat and counter-weapons of mass destruction (CWMD) skills during Ulchi Freedom Shield 2025.

The combined training focused on Military Operations on Urban Terrain (MOUT), emphasizing room-clearing, movement under fire, and integration of allied forces in a dense, urban environment. Soldiers maneuvered through smoke-filled streets, breached fortified buildings, and coordinated stairwell and hallway tactics to clear simulated threats.

In addition to urban maneuver, the exercise incorporated counter-WMD tasks, highlighting the importance of detecting and neutralizing simulated chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear threats. ROKA Soldiers employed advanced robotics to inspect hazardous areas, while U.S. troops operated in protective masks and suits to identify and secure suspected materials.

The event also included demolition, and the integration of unmanned aerial systems, underscoring the combined force’s ability to adapt to both conventional and unconventional threats.

Ulchi Freedom Shield, the annual joint U.S.-ROK exercise, aims to strengthen readiness and interoperability across the full spectrum of conflict, from large-scale combat to countering asymmetric threats.

The Manchus of 4-9 IN and their ROKA partners concluded the event with a successful validation of combined urban and CWMD capabilities, further reinforcing the enduring U.S.-ROK military partnership.

• Date Taken: 08.26.2025
• Date Posted: 09.03.2025 00:27
• Story ID: 547077
• Location: KR