South Korean Brig. Gen. Moon Han-ok and U.S. Army Brig. Gen. W Bochat speak to reporters at Camp Humphreys, South Korea, on March 4, 2026. (Yoojin Lee/Stars and Stripes)
CAMP HUMPHREYS, South Korea — U.S. and South Korean forces will proceed with a major joint military exercise next week despite the United States’ involvement in the conflict with Iran, a pair of generals said this week.
The 10-day Freedom Shield exercise — one of the two largest drills conducted by the allies each year — is slated to begin Monday.
Brig. Gen. Moon Han-ok, a deputy commander of the 2nd Infantry Division, which combines both U.S. and South Korean units, emphasized the strength of the U.S.–South Korean alliance and the division’s readiness posture while speaking with reporters alongside U.S. Brig. Gen. W Bochat on Wednesday.
Moon said the training will continue as planned.
“Actually, we are strengthening readiness thinking North Korea might show some provocations,” she said Wednesday at the division’s headquarters on Humphreys. “We will conduct the exercise as planned and maintain readiness.”
Freedom Shield comes as the U.S. and Israel are engaged in military operations against Iran, which began Saturday.
Bochat — commander of the 20th Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, Explosives Command based at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md. — traveled to South Korea to support the exercise.
“I don’t think [Iran] is affecting what we are going to do, and I think we need to work on the [South Korea]-U.S. alliance right now and not get pulled into something else,” she said.
Moon and Bochat previously worked together as colonels while serving as chiefs of staff for 2nd ID between December 2021 to October 2022.
The 2nd ID is a “truly combined organization,” Bochat said, noting that the two sides build readiness by playing together and training together.
During Freedom Shield, the 20th CBRNE Command will provide support across the exercise rather than focus on a single unit, Bochat said. The command will work with South Korea’s Chemical, Biological, Radiological Defense Command to address potential threats that might arise during the training.
“We are here to provide as a staff for anything that happens during the exercise,” she said. “I think the value proposition of our organization is that we have a persistent stare on the problem.”
Moon previously served as deputy commander of South Korea’s 2nd Engineer Brigade and held positions at the Ministry of National Defense and the Joint Chiefs of Staff before her promotion to brigadier general in January.
Bochat served as the 33rd commandant of the U.S. Army Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear School before taking her current role.
Bochat voiced support for Moon as she prepares to oversee her first Freedom Shield exercise as a general officer.
“Thank you for your leadership, because the most important thing is training together and figuring out how we think, and what’s important to us,” she said.
