S. Korea, US begin preliminary military drills ahead of major exercise

South Korean Army cadets listen to a US soldier (center) during a training for the Sandhurst Military Skills Competition at Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek on Feb 17, 2022, as US soldiers provide the training to them in military alliance. (JUNG YEON-JE / AFP)

SEOUL – The combined forces of South Korea and the United States kicked off preliminary military drills on Tuesday ahead of the joint springtime military exercise, Yonhap news agency reported citing unidentified sources.

The preliminary drill came in the run-up to the Combined Command Post Training, a major springtime South Korea-US computer-simulated exercise scheduled to last from April 18 to 28

The Crisis Management Staff Training (CMST), led by South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS), will run until Friday to practice the management of possible pre-war emergency situations.

ALSO READ: S. Korea, US scale back military drill over coronavirus

The preliminary drill came in the run-up to the Combined Command Post Training (CCPT), a major springtime South Korea-US computer-simulated exercise scheduled to last from April 18 to 28.

The USS Abraham Lincoln strike group entered the international waters of South Korea's eastern waters, an unidentified military source was quoted by Yonhap as saying.

The US nuclear-powered aircraft carrier was in the waters east of the southeastern city of Ulsan. It reportedly planned to be in the waters for five days.

READ MORE: US, ROK reach agreement on defense cost sharing

It marked the first time since November 2017 that a US aircraft carrier entered South Korean waters.