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Trump orders Pentagon to substantially reduce joint exercises with South Korea
The planned 11 days of drills that included 18,000 South Korean troops were aimed at improving readiness for joint operations against North Korean threats.
US President Donald Trump ordered the Pentagon to substantially reduce planned joint military exercises with South Korea, citing cost and the potential message the drills would send to North Korea, according to the Associated Press via SCMP Economy.
Trump said in a social media post that the exercises scheduled to begin this week were too costly and “inappropriate and hostile,” adding that it was too late to cancel but instructing Secretary of War Pete Hegseth to scale them back.
The exercises were originally designed to run for 11 days and involve 18,000 South Korean soldiers, with US and South Korean forces practicing joint operations in complex scenarios, including a live-fire exercise for precision targeting and manoeuvre, a wet gap crossing, and distribution of pre-positioned military equipment, the US military said.
Trump’s order followed his claim that South Korea declined to help denuclearise Iran, and he also posted a photo of himself standing next to North Korea leader Kim Jong-un, saying the two leaders get along despite the image.