US and South Korea begin Freedom Shield military exercise amid Middle East war

Exam-focused facts from the 15 March 2026 current affairs briefing.

Key facts

Freedom Shield exercise started on Monday and runs through March 19.
About 18,000 South Korean troops are participating in Freedom Shield.
Freedom Shield is one of two annual command-post exercises; the other is Ulchi Freedom Shield held in August.
Warrior Shield field training accompanies Freedom Shield with 22 field exercises, down from 51 last year.
North Korea describes allied drills as invasion rehearsals and uses them to justify military demonstrations and weapons tests.