South Korea and the United States have been staging a combined live-fire and maneuver exercise, involving a US battalion deployed for their key summertime military exercise, the South's Army said on August 14, Ednews informs referring to Yonhap.

The six-day exercise, which brings together battalions from the South's 1st Armored Brigade and the US 1st Armored Division, began Friday at Seungjin Fire Training Field in Pocheon, around 30 kilometers south of the inter-Korean border, the Army said.

Some 320 troops were mobilized to form a joint combat team for the exercise meant to verify the interoperability of their command control and military assets to enhance capabilities to carry out small-unit combined operations.

Apache helicopters from the US 2nd Infantry Division/ROK-US Combined Division were also deployed for the training, according to the Army.

Troops from the Fort Bliss, Texas-based 1st Armored Division have been deployed in conjunction with the Ulchi Freedom Shield, a major combined military exercise set to take place from August 19-29.