SKorea, US Troops Hold Drills with Drones, Laser Sensors

A US soldier from 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, runs in a smoke during South Korea and the United States combined combat demonstration as a part of the K-ICTC (Korea International Combat Training Competition) in Inje, South Korea, Thursday, Oct. 26, 2023. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

South Korean and US troops held joint future combat drills involving drones, an unmanned vehicle and wearable laser sensors this week as part of efforts to modernize their militaries, Seoul's army said on Saturday.
The training came as South Korea's military conducts a series of annual Hoguk autumn exercises aimed at improving responses to North Korea's nuclear and missile threats, Reuters reported.
More than 120 soldiers from both sides joined forces to fight against a trained team of opposing forces in a mock-up town that appeared similar to the North Korean capital of Pyongyang, built at the Korea Combat Training Centre in the mountains in the eastern city of Inje.
The drills also mobilized various high-tech weapons systems aimed at beefing up future combat capabilities, with the troops wearing multiple integrated laser engagement systems (MILES), which uses lasers to simulate actual battle.
Several drones were flown for reconnaissance purposes, some also firing an assault rifle, while South Korea dispatched a multipurpose unmanned vehicle to carry wounded personnel.
Choi Jeong-Il, a captain of the South Korean army's 25th Infantry Division, nicknamed the TIGER brigade, said the unmanned assets and the MILES gear helped identify enemies and gauge the allied troops' casualties.
"We were able to confirm the enemy's movements using the drones, and hit them with the cutting-edge strike equipment, which allowed us to maximize the results of the operation while minimizing damage to our forces," he said.
First Lieutenant Derek Chen from the 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team of the US 4th Infantry Division said the drills offered an "eye-opening experience" and the assets would be beneficial in future combat operations.