By Staff Sgt. Benjamin W. Stratton, 7th Air Force Public Affairs / Published March 24, 2017 
 
 OSAN AIR BASE, South Korea (AFNS) -- South Korea and U.S. military forces participated in an annual command and control exercise called Key Resolve (KR17) held across the Korean Peninsula March 8 to 23, 2017. 
 
 
 
 From its start, the exercise highlights the longstanding and enduring partnership and friendship between the two nations and their combined commitment to the defense of South Korea and regional stability. 
 
 
 
 Approximately 12,800 U.S. forces along with 10,000 South Korean military personnel joined dozens of augmentation forces and multinational representatives from the United Nations Command including Australia, Canada, Denmark, France and Great Britain. 
 
 
 
 Lt. Gen. Thomas Bergeson, the Air Component Command, South Korea/U.S. Combined Forces Command and 7th Air Force commander, explained the significance of exercises like Key Resolve and the combined U.S. and U.N. commitment to South Korea. 
 
 
 
 “Our mission is first and foremost to deter any aggression from North Korea,” he said. “If that deterrence fails then we are in a position to defend the Republic of Korea. And if we defend, we are going to defeat the enemy and win.” 
 
 
 
 The general went on to explain how vitally important this region of the world is to all nations. 
 
 
 
 “Over 20 percent of the world’s economic output comes from Northeast Asia,” he continued. “This is a very vital portion of the world and so it’s extremely important not just to the United States but to the rest of the world as well.” 
 
 
 
 KR17 is conducted in accordance with the South Korean-U.S. Mutual Defense Treaty, signed Oct. 1, 1953. The exercise strengthens the two nation’s regional security cooperation essential for addressing the growing threat from North Korea. A strong defense relationship among the U.S., CFC and South Korea serves as the anchor of stability in the region. 
 
 
 
 “Allies are critical to the United States,” Bergeson said. “Our friends and our allies, we share common values: democracy, respect for human rights and laws, and so we want to work together to try to retain peace and security throughout this region.” 
 
 
 
 The defense treaty further emboldens Koreans and Americans alike in their collective desire “to strengthen the fabric of peace in the Pacific area.” 
 
 
 
 Exercises like KR17 afford both U.S. and South Korean service members an opportunity to work side-by-side in the same way they would operate if actually going to war. Senior Airman Ivan Cooper, with the 15th Operations Support Squadron at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, explains how this experience not only makes him a better Airman, but a more effective weather forecaster. 
 
 
 
 “Key Resolve has really opened my eyes to new ways of handling difficult situations,” he said. “It helps improve our communication skills not only internally with other Americans, but especially with the Koreans as well.” 
 
 
 
 Cooper’s weather forecast counterpart in the South Korean air force, 1st Lt. Jaewon Yoo with the Osan Weather Squadron, echoed his partner’s sentiment saying the opportunity to work side-by-side with U.S. forecasters has been an extremely enriching experience. 
 
 
 
 “This is very important because the way we forecast is different from the way the Americans forecast,” Yoo explained. “Key Resolve has brought us closer together and helped us understand how we can work as a unified team to deter the enemy and make a difference.” 
 
 
 
 That feeling reaches up and down the ranks, from airman basic through the general officers, and only emboldens U.S. and South Korean forces in their deterrence mission as the common ground. 
 
 
 
 “We’re not going to fight wars alone,” said Capt. Abi Oilar, an air battle manager with the 612th Air Operations Center at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona. “Back at home station, I’m used to operating at the tactical level, whereas here, I’ve had to do more critical thinking and approach the scenarios from a different perspective. Working alongside the (South Korean air force) has opened my eyes to new ways of approaching the situations that I’ll be able to take back with me and share with others in my home command.” 
 
 
 
 But it takes more than air power to win a war and according to Bergeson, the Korean Air Power Team is made up of the U.S. Air Force, the South Korean air force as well as the 35th Air Defense Artillery Brigade and U.S. Army and liaisons from the U.S. Marine Corps and U.S. Navy that all bring together their air components into what the general calls the Korean Air Power Team. 
 
 
 
 “The Air Component is responsible for any of the operations in air, space and cyberspace,” the general said. “The other components are responsible for operations in their domains, whether on land or in the sea, or with the Marines who are doing amphibious operations. So we coordinate with them every day by having liaison officers who work in all different command centers.” 
 
 
 
 One such liaison officer, U.S. Army Maj. Tony Wrice, with the 3rd Battlefield Coordination Detachment at Osan AB, said it’s “amazing what we can do when we come together as one unified team.” 
 
 
 
 “This exercise has been a really great experience working together with our Air Force, the (South Korean air force) and (South Korean) army, and all the UNCs,” Wrice said. “I’m responsible for ensuring our artillery and other ground forces don’t conflict with the needs and operations of the air component. Every day I’m working with (South Korean air force) and (South Korean) army counterparts to make sure we can communicate each component’s needs, de-conflict any issues and meet objectives.” 
 
 
 
 Although Army personnel are greatly outnumbered in this exercise, their necessity to mission success remains as evident today as during the Korean War nearly 70 years ago. 
 
 
 
 “To be able to bring all our resources together and really focus on winning the fight is incredible,” Wrice continued. “Key Resolve makes it all happen.” 
 
 
 
 The exercise is about more than sharpening South Korea’s defense, it’s about assembling a team by building on old friendships with a renewed focus on freedom and prosperity across the Indo-Asia-Pacific region. 
 
 
 
 “The team has done extraordinarily well,” the general said. “This is a difficult exercise, we want it to be difficult, and so we are learning lessons as we go along. Some things we’re not doing perfectly but that’s why you do it; that’s why you practice. You practice to make it very difficult so that if you were ever to have to do this for real, you’re prepared for it.” 
 
 
 
 Similarly, South Korean air force Lt. Gen. Won In Choul, the Air Component Command deputy commander, said he couldn’t be prouder of the brave men and women who daily put their lives on the line in defense of South Korea. 
 
 
 
 “Forged in the blood spilled by the Korean War, six decades of ROK-U.S. alliance has developed and fortified each nation’s military, economy and diplomacy,” he said. “(Our combined) planning and preparation allowed this to be the most realistic exercise in history. I’m grateful for the dedication and passion of not only ROK and U.S. Airmen but also Soldiers, Sailors and Marines.” 
 
 
 
 “I wish safe travels for the augmentees who participated in the exercise from outside the Korean theater of operations,” Choul added. “Thank you.” 
 
 ||||| U.S. Fast-Tracks Missile Defense System To South Korea, Drawing China's Ire 
 
 Enlarge this image toggle caption U.S. Force Korea via AP U.S. Force Korea via AP 
 
 North Korea again tested ballistic missiles this week, firing four of them into the waters near Japan. Just days later, the U.S. military announced that part of a controversial missile defense system arrived at Osan Air Base in South Korea for deployment as early as April. 
 
 The system, called THAAD, an acronym for Terminal High Altitude Area Defense, has been the source of much controversy in South Korea. Critics say the approval process to install it was rushed, and neighboring China is furious about the deployment. Here's what you need to know: 
 
 What's THAAD? 
 
 It's an American missile defense system designed to shoot down short and intermediate range missiles in the terminal phase — often described as like shooting a bullet with a bullet. There's currently a system installed on Guam. As North Korea tested ballistic missiles last year, the United States argued that THAAD was increasingly necessary in South Korea. 
 
 Seoul's current conservative administration approved it after months of consternation and public hand wringing. It was supposed to be deployed before the end of this year in southern South Korea, on land that is currently a golf course. 
 
 
 
 But the Chinese are expressing unhappiness. What does it have to do with the Chinese? 
 
 
 
 The Chinese seem more worried about THAAD's radar system than its missiles. This system has the capability, the Chinese say, to track where China's missile systems are located, giving the U.S. a strategic advantage. China is also questioning if THAAD would be effective against North Korea's short-range missiles, raising the question whether THAAD's primary goal is to contain China. The U.S. has maintained the system is merely defensive. 
 
 
 
 What is China doing about it? 
 
 China's first target has been to hit South Korea economically, putting restrictions on business and shutting down stores owned by the Lotte conglomerate, which agreed to allow THAAD to be built on its golf course. Chinese travel agencies are stopping ticket sales and tour packages to South Korea, and there are calls to boycott South Korean products like K-dramas and K-pop concerts. 
 
 Some of this may sound trivial, but China is South Korea's largest trading partner, so this could have a damaging economic impact. Then, earlier this week after THAAD batteries arrived near Seoul, China's foreign ministry said China would take "necessary measures" against it. It's unclear what this means, but according to some military experts, China may be developing technology to blind THAAD's control system, essentially jamming it. 
 
 
 
 What has the reaction been in South Korea to these measures? 
 
 China's retaliation, as South Korea sees it, brought widespread condemnation in the media, and created anxiety among policymakers. Some even called for the country to file a complaint with the World Trade Organization. Others are calling for more restraint. But it's important to remember that there's been little evidence of a slowdown in trade of manufactured goods between the two countries, which makes up a huge chunk of bilateral commerce. 
 
 
 
 And South Korea is in a leadership vacuum. The president's already been impeached and could be removed as early as tomorrow. Could this have an impact on the deployment of THAAD? 
 
 
 
 It might play into why the U.S. abruptly announced this week that it started setting up the THAAD system several months sooner than expected. There's a case to be made that the deployment is being fast-tracked ahead of a new South Korean administration, which could be less accepting of the system. The left-leaning Democratic Party (which is currently out of power) has more members opposed to or skeptical about THAAD deployment. It's also possible the effort is going faster than expected because the defense ministry recently reached a land deal for the system's location — and because North Korea has stepped up its missile tests in recent weeks. ||||| OSAN AIR BASE, South Korea — With the stakes on the Korean peninsula as high as they have ever been, life for the men and women here with the U.S. Air Force's 51st Fighter Wing is lived in a state of constant alert. 
 
 South Korea has no nuclear weapons, so it relies on the United States' nuclear umbrella to deter North Korea and its erratic leader, Kim Jong Un. 
 
 That makes Osan — less than 50 miles from the Demilitarized Zone separating the mortal enemies and home to a large proportion of the 28,500 U.S. military personnel in South Korea — the leading edge of the shield that protects the South from the North. 
 
 Hence the base's slogan: "Ready to Fight Tonight." 
 
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 NBC Nightly News Exclusive: Lester Holt anchors from South Korea on Monday and Tuesday, April 3 and 4, at 6:30pm ET. 
 
 Patriot missile batteries are poised to defend the base from North Korean ballistic missiles. Preparations for chemical attacks are constant. Air crews hone their combat readiness round the clock. 
 
 "We need to be ready every day to not only fight tonight, but win tonight," Lt. Col. Mike McCarthy, an F-16 pilot, told NBC News, which was granted rare access to the underground Air Operations Center. 
 
 Following a U-2 spy plane preparing for takeoff at daybreak from Osan Air Base in S Korea. My report Monday night on @NBCNightlyNews pic.twitter.com/9a231HVOaw — Lester Holt (@LesterHoltNBC) April 2, 2017 
 
 It's a facility so critical that war planners believe it's the North's No. 1 target should hostilities break out, and the military wouldn't allow NBC News to use the full names of front-line forces. 
 
 Related: U.S. Begins Shipping Controversial Anti-Missile System to South Korea 
 
 As a pilot identified only as Capt. Mike embarked on an eight-hour reconnaissance mission in a U-2 spy plane, a lieutenant colonel named Dane said: "It's a constant tempo. We are very busy all the time, and I think in the last 10 years we've been the busiest we have ever been in this airplane." 
 
 That's because, as Navy Adm. Scott Swift, commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet, put it, "I have never seen a greater concern from a regional perspective of the threat that is being posed by North Korea." 
 
 Air Force Lt. Col. Michael McCarthy talked to NBC News' Lester Holt. NBC News 
 
 Kim is "desperate" and is prepared to use nuclear weapons to strike the United States and its allies, Thae Yong Ho, the highest-profile North Korean defector in two decades, told NBC News. 
 
 Related: North Korean Defector Tells Lester Holt 'World Should Be Ready' 
 
 That means that any moment, the men and women of Osan could have to drop everything, grab their gear and go into battle, said Col. Andrew Hansen, commander of the 51st Fighter Wing. 
 
 "In terms of the constant day-to-day threat ... it is certainly more dangerous in Iraq and Afghanistan," Hansen said. "But in terms of the dominance of the threat — the capability of North Korea — certainly this is a much more dangerous place."
– Osan Air Base may not be a name you're familiar with, but it's a US Air Force base that sits in a prime location: fewer than 50 miles from the Demilitarized Zone that separates North and South Korea. If that's not enough to get your attention, this line from NBC News might change that: "It's a facility so critical that war planners believe it's the North's No. 1 target should hostilities break out," and thousands of US military personnel are stationed there. The network reports on its exclusive visit to the base, which is home to the US Air Force's 51st Fighter Wing. There, air crews and patriot missile batteries are at the ready in the event of ballistic missiles or chemical attacks. When North Korea launched four ballistic missiles toward Japan in March, the Washington Post noted the launch site was fewer than 300 miles from the Osan base. An F-16 pilot describes the state of constant alert as not just readiness, but the ability to "win tonight." Thae Yong Ho, a recent high-profile defector, tells the network that North Korea's Kim Jong Un is "desperate" and prepared to use nuclear force, and a lieutenant colonel at Osan says it's "the busiest we have ever been in this airplane," referring to a U-2 spy plane. Meanwhile, the US Air Force reported in a press release on a two-week command and control exercise held across the Korean Peninsula in March that saw 12,800 US forces join 10,000 South Korean military personnel and others from Australia, Canada, Denmark, France and Great Britain. It took place just as the US sent part of a controversial missile defense system called THAAD to Osan, reports NPR. (Japan weighs in on this week's "extremely problematic" test.)