USFK air defense unit participates in recent U.S. missile defense exercise in Palau

SEOUL, Aug. 9 (Yonhap) — An air defense artillery brigade under the U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) participated in a recent air and missile defense exercise led by the U.S. Army Pacific in Palau that involved the firing of surface-to-air missiles, according to the USFK.

“Soldiers from the Eighth Army’s 35th Air Defense Artillery Brigade recently showcased their lethality and precision during Exercise Tenacious Archer (20)26,” the Eighth Army said in a recent post on Facebook.

Alongside the U.S. Army’s 52nd Air Defense Artillery Regiment and multilateral partners, the exercise featuring multiple joint live-fire events involving “the AN/TWQ-1 Avenger system and shoulder-launched Stinger missiles,” the Eighth Army said.

Tenacious Archer is a multilateral exercise aimed at testing and enhancing integrated air and missile defense capabilities, and is led by the U.S. Army Pacific and Special Operations Command Pacific, a command under the U.S. Department of Defense. This year’s exercise ran from July 25 to Aug. 2.

The participation of the major USFK air defense artillery brigade in the air defense exercise in Palau, a strategic U.S. defense point in the Indo-Pacific, came as Washington seeks greater operational flexibility for its troops stationed in South Korea.

“By deploying and operating in diverse locations across the region, Eighth Army soldiers ensure they maintain the highest levels of proficiency to defend allies and partners, increase interoperability and promote stability for a free and open Pacific,” the Eighth Army said.