American soldiers from the 59th Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear Company conduct missions during a rotational deployment near the Demilitarized Zone separating the two Koreas, in this photo released by the Indo-Pacific Command on Nov. 29, 2023.
SEOUL, Nov. 30 (Korea Bizwire) – The U.S. Indo-Pacific Command has released photos of a U.S. Army chemical corps company conducting joint drills with South Korean forces near the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) amid heightened tension along the border with North Korea.
American soldiers from the 59th Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear Company have been training together with U.S. Forces Korea and South Korean troops near the DMZ to bolster the combined defense posture, the command said in a post Wednesday (local time), without specifying the schedule.
American soldiers from the 59th Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear Company conduct missions during a rotational deployment near the Demilitarized Zone separating the two Koreas, in this photo released by the Indo-Pacific Command on Nov. 29, 2023.
The New York-based company has been on a nine-month rotational deployment in Camp Casey in Dongducheon, 41 km north of Seoul, since July in support of the 2nd Infantry Division and Eighth Army stationed in South Korea. The company attended the Ulchi Freedom Shield, an annual joint military exercise held by South Korea and U.S. forces in August.
The training focused on reconnaissance and decontamination missions as well as countering weapons of mass destruction, and chemical, biological and nuclear hazards, according to the command.
On Nov. 30, the U.S. Defense Department’s Defense Video and Information Distribution Service (DVIDS) released several photos of the U.S. 59th Hwasangbang Company, which was rotationally deployed to Camp Casey near the DMZ in Dongducheon, Gyeonggi Province, in July, conducting a Hwasangbang reconnaissance and interdiction exercise with South Korean forces.
The announcement of the drills came amid high tension as North Korea has recently redeployed troops and heavy arms to the DMZ after vowing to scrap a 2018 inter-Korean military agreement aimed at preventing tension and accidental clashes near the heavily fortified border.
Image credit: DVIDS, Yonhap / photonews@koreabizwire.com
