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US cancels next month’s South Korea amphibious Ssangyong drills
The cancellation follows a Trump order to cut Ulchi Freedom Shield exercises from 11 days to five and is tied to US force availability constrained by the war in the Middle East.
South Korea said the United States has cancelled a large joint amphibious landing exercise scheduled for next month, the Ssangyong drills, citing constraints on US force availability linked to the war with Iran, according to SCMP Economy.
The biennial exercises involve marine forces from both countries and are intended to strengthen combined operations, typically including warships, aircraft, and ground forces rehearsing amphibious landings.
The development comes after US President Donald Trump ordered last week to scale down the separate annual Ulchi Freedom Shield exercises, cutting them from 11 days to five, with the president citing high cost and saying the drills sent an inappropriate and hostile signal to North Korea.
South Korea said it and Washington are continuing consultations on whether to resume Ssangyong, and a South Korean Marine Corps spokesman said the US Marine Corps notified Seoul in June that it would have limited ability to deploy forces during this year’s Ssangyong exercise.