S.Korea, US to resume 'live, virtual, constructive' elements in drills

Seoul, Feb 10

South Korea and the US plan to incorporate "live, virtual and constructive" (LVC) training elements in this year's springtime combined military exercise for the first time in five years, the US Forces Korea (USFK) said on Friday.

The LVC framework refers to "live" field manoeuvers, "virtual" simulation drills and "constructive" war games -- three key elements that are intertwined and synchronized based on the same exercise scenario, reports Yonhap News Agency.

The countries last applied the LVC concept during the now-suspended Foal Eagle field exercise in 2018.

"Freedom Shield is a prime opportunity to leverage LVC capabilities," USFK spokesperson Col. Isaac Taylor told Yonhap, referring to the regular exercise expected to take place next month.

"As technology has matured, the ability to synchronize the 'live,' 'virtual' and 'constructive' domains has improved, and as these capabilities evolve and mature, their use will continue to be incorporated into the exercise design to enhance combat readiness," he added.

LVC elements have not been infused into the two countries' combined drills in recent years, as their computer-simulated command post exercises took place separately from field drills following the suspension of the Foal Eagle exercise in 2019.

The plan to resume the LVC concept comes as the Yoon Suk-yeol and Joe Biden administrations have been pushing to reinforce combined drills that were scaled back or suspended during the former Moon Jae-in government.

The tech-based LVC concept is not new, Taylor pointed out, as the US military has long been harnessing it to enhance realism in its training programs and the effectiveness of those programs, and minimize logistical training requirements.

The allies are poised to conduct some 20 combined exercises at the same level of intensity as the Foal Eagle drills in the first half of this year, according to Seoul's Defence Ministry.