South Korea and the United States kicked off their key summertime combined exercise Monday, with Seoul seeking to use the drills to accelerate efforts to regain wartime operational command (OPCON) from Washington. The annual Ulchi Freedom Shield (UFS) exercise will run until Aug. 27, featuring combined and all-domain operations to boost the allies' readiness and capabilities by incorporating realistic threats reflecting the rapidly changing modern warfare. The UFS is a flagship combined exercise conducted by the allies every year to train for contingencies against North Korea, along with the Freedom Shield (FS) that takes place in spring. This year's UFS comes as South Korea is seeking to retake wartime command from the U.S. before the Lee Jae Myung administration's five-year term ends in 2030, or reportedly even as early as next year, although differences appear to remain with the U.S. over the timeline. The South's military said it expects the latest UFS will serve to support ongoing preparations for a "conditions-based" OPCON transition. Seoul and Washington are working on the OPCON t