Seoul, Aug 5 (IANS): A US armored unit is conducting a routine exercise to quickly deploy soldiers from the US mainland to South Korea as part of efforts to maintain rapid response capabilities, the US Army stationed in the South said Monday.

Last month, a battalion under the 1st Armored Division in Texas was mobilised to a US military base near Daegu, 233 kilometers southeast of Seoul, to take part in the Pacific Fortitude exercise, according to the 8th Army, Yonhap news agency reported.

The troops were notified of the drills on July 17, and just six days later, they began drawing out combat equipment at Camp Carroll, alongside the 19th Expeditionary Sustainment Command, it said. The exercise also tests the use of equipment already in South Korea.

Photos released by the 8th Army showed troops transporting M1 Abrams tanks and M2 Bradley infantry fighting vehicles at the base to a training area.

"Having this critical equipment already in place allows us to project this power at the right time and at the right speed," Brigadier General Jin Pak, commander of the 19th Expeditionary Sustainment Command, said in a release.

"This deployment readiness exercise proves to our allies that the United States is committed to the defence of the ROK-US alliance," he said, using the acronym for the South's official name -- Republic of Korea.