A combined team of U.S. and Republic of Korea personnel participate in a multiday training event associated with exercise Freedom Shield 25 Paengnyong-Do (Baengyeong-Do), ROK, on March 19, 2025. Freedom Shield is an annual combined exercise conducted in support of the U.S.-ROK Mutual Defense Treaty signed on Oct. 1, 1953. This combined exercise hones the U.S. and ROK combined lethality through defense capabilities that ensure the mutual defense of both nations’ homelands and contributes to regional peace and stability through integrated deterrence. (U.S. Navy photo by Lt. Jaqueline Parashar)