U.S. Army soldiers of the 11th Engineer Battalion, 2nd Infantry Division, and South Korean troops of the 5th Engineer Brigade prepare to assemble a bridge during wet gap training at the Imjin River, South Korea, March 20, 2024. (Luis Garcia/Stars and Stripes)
IMJIN RIVER, South Korea — U.S. and South Korean troops practiced bridge-building recently a short distance from the Demilitarized Zone, the border separating North and South Korea.
South Korean K1 88 tanks deploy smoke during training for a wet gap crossing along the Imjin River, South Korea, March 20, 2024. (Luis Garcia/Stars and Stripes)
U.S. Army soldiers of the 11th Engineer Battalion, 2nd Infantry Division, and South Korean troops of the 5th Engineer Brigade prepare to assemble a bridge during wet gap training at the Imjin River, South Korea, March 20, 2024. (Luis Garcia/Stars and Stripes)
Soldiers of the 11th Engineer Battalion, 2nd Infantry Division and South Korean troops of the 5th Engineer Brigade assembled a ribbon bridge over the Imjin River near Paju-si, a city in Gyeonggi province, on March 20. Paju-si is within 5 miles of the heavily guarded border, although the exercise took place further away.
A CH-47 Chinook helicopter of the 3rd General Support Aviation Battalion, 2nd Combat Aviation Brigade, delivers a bridge component to U.S. Army engineers for assembly during practice for a wet gap crossing at the Imjin River, South Korea, March 20, 2024. (Luis Garcia/Stars and Stripes)
U.S. Army soldiers of the 11th Engineer Battalion, 2nd Infantry Division, and South Korean troops of the 5th Engineer Brigade move bridge parts during wet gap training at the Imjin River, South Korea, March 20, 2024. (Luis Garcia/Stars and Stripes)
A ribbon bridge takes shape on the Imjin River during training for a wet gap crossing by U.S. and South Korean army engineers on the Imjin River, South Korea, March 20, 2024. (Luis Garcia/Stars and Stripes)
Cargo trucks and CH-47 Chinook helicopters delivered the bridge sections, which the engineers moved into place and assembled using small boats.
South Korean K1 88 tanks cross a ribbon bridge during training at the Imjin River, South Korea, March 20, 2024. (Luis Garcia/Stars and Stripes)
Once in place, the bridge provided a pathway across the river for armored transport vehicles, air defense systems and tanks, as part of the exercise.
