Ulchi Freedom Guardian (Sharp Point # 21-10)

  • Published
  • By Gen. Walter Sharp
  • United Nations Command, Combined Forces Command and U.S. Forces Korea commander
YONGSAN GARRISON, Republic of Korea --  1. Ulchi Freedom Guardian 2010 (UFG 10) is about to begin and each of you has an important role to ensure our success. The ROK - U.S. Alliance has successfully deterred aggression on the Korean Peninsula for 57 years and UFG 10 is another opportunity for us to work together and demonstrate our resolve to ensure regional stability.

2. UFG 10 is the first exercise since President Lee and President Obama announced the decision to delay the transition of wartime operational control until late 2015. UFG 10 represents an excellent opportunity to develop the tenets of our Strategic Alliance 2015 plans as we improve ROK/U.S. combat readiness and joint/combined interoperability.

3. With units participating in Korea, throughout Pacific Command (PACOM), and at multiple locations across the United States, UFG 10 is one of the largest Joint Staff directed theater exercises in the world. Like our combined exercises in the past, Ulchi Freedom Guardian affords the combined team an opportunity to continue to develop organizational structures and collaborate on command and control relationships between our militaries and our governments.

4. I am totally committed to achieving our training objectives for UFG 10 and I am equally insistent that we execute all training safely. Leaders at all levels must implement comprehensive risk management to identify hazards, enable controls, and reduce the overall risks to our personnel and equipment.

5. Each of you has an important part in this exercise and I expect you to achieve victory through discipline, dedication and teamwork. As we demonstrate our ability to successfully defend the Republic of Korea (ROK), we ensure regional stability across northwest Asia and show the world that we remain an agile, adaptive force capable of taking on any challenge.

6. We Go Together!