SEOUL, South Korea – The United States Army, Corps of Engineers, Far East District (FED) participated in Key Resolve 2018 military exercise Apr. 22- May 3 in the Republic of Korea with components of both the US Army and Republic of Korea (ROK) military directly supporting our long-standing alliance.
The Far East District participated in this year’s exercise by supporting Forward Engineer Support Teams (FEST) currently deployed here.
“The Far East District’s footprint and role on the peninsula is unique because it’s responsible for much of the construction, but also has a responsibility to be ready to transition to a wartime organization,” said Maj. Danny Kang, district operations officer.
The Forward Engineer Support Teams supported a wide range of engineering functions within the Far East District during the exercise. Having their expertise on display tackling these challenges, really showed their array of versatility and ability of all team members to work within a stressful environment.
“The District’s participation in the exercise is important as it helps us understand our role in the event of a contingency as well helps us mentally prepare,” said Kang.
A successful exercise which encompasses the armed forces of the US/ROK alliance involves a multitude of planning to ensure proper execution. The staff of the district’s operations is quite small, but makes a huge impact.
There’s a lot of coordination prior to the exercise which is led and executed by the district operations staff, said Kang. “The district’s mission is dynamic as there is a combination of U.S. Army Soldiers working closely with civilian counterparts. Everyone who is assigned to FED contributes by bringing their own set of unique skills.”