Overview

• The 11-day Ulchi Freedom Shield runs Aug. 18–28 with about 21,000 personnel, and roughly half of its planned field events were pushed to September because of heat and flood damage, U.S. officials said.
• North Korean state media said Kim inspected the 5,000-ton Choe Hyon destroyer in Nampo, branded the drills a “will to ignite a war,” and ordered a rapid expansion of nuclear capabilities.
• KCNA reported the ship is being prepared for anti-air and anti-ship weapons plus nuclear-capable ballistic and cruise missiles, and that Kim reviewed plans for a third destroyer by October next year.
• South Korean President Lee Jae Myung instructed ministries to begin phased steps to implement inter-Korean agreements, seeking to revive the suspended 2018 military tension-reduction pact.
• In parallel, U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth and Andy Kim are meeting top builders in South Korea and Japan to explore joint ventures and repair hubs for U.S. auxiliary vessels, as CSIS data show the U.S. holds 0.1% of global commercial capacity versus China’s 53% and South Korean firms expand cooperation, including Hanwha Ocean’s recent U.S. Navy repair and Hanwha’s Philly Shipyard acquisition.