Exercise ULCHI FREEDOM SHIELD - South Korea with the 2nd Battalion

Opportunities in the Royal Anglian Regiment are constant, Lieutenant Matt Wilman, Second in Command B ‘Leicestershire’ Company deployed to Seoul in South Korea for 4 weeks to participate in Exercise ULCHI FREEDOM SHIELD, a readiness exercise for the South Korean – United States alliance on the peninsular.

One of 17 British soldiers and officers augmenting the United Nations Command, a 4* Command which focuses its efforts on maintaining the armistice, Lieutenant Wilman was employed as a Liaison Officer within the ROK-US warfighting headquarters.

The exercise was a regular occurrence but was paused for a number of years as a result of Covid-19; the 2022 exercise was the first one back running in full swing. It exercised everyone in the two strategic headquarters in Korea, as well as Korean ministers, and attracted international news coverage, as well as North Korean missile tests in response.

Lieutenant Wilman found himself working in a bunker in the outskirts of Seoul in a headquarters that regularly switched languages and had many nuances. Fortunately, there was enough time off over the weekends to explore South Korea, from visits to the DMZ and Imjin River, to relaxing on the beaches of Busan. A thoroughly interesting and rewarding experience.

Back

Sign up to our newsletter

Get email updates with all of our latest news directly to your inbox.

You can unsubscribe at any time, please contact us if you would like to be taken off our mailing list.


    © The Royal Anglian Regiment