U.S. commandos train for the unexpected in North Korea’s shadow

U.S. special operations troops in South Korea are training and preparing for unexpected threats at a time when global crises are more interconnected than ever, their commander said during an exercise this week.
“Nothing in the history of the United States should give us any faith and confidence that we know where the next threat is coming from,” Brigadier General Derek Lipson of Special Operations Command – Korea said in an interview on the sidelines of joint drills.
Nuclear-armed North Korea in recent years has made unprecedented strides in its weapons programs, including massive new ballistic missiles that can reach the United States and speedy new tactical missiles designed to defeat missile defence systems.
For the first time, North Korean missiles have been fired in combat, with Russia wielding them this year against targets in Ukraine, according to U.S. officials and independent experts.
And in Asia, Korea joins the South China Sea and Taiwan as flashpoints with the potential to involve the region and the world.