South Korea, US scale back annual military drills after Trump’s order

What the report says

South Korea and the United States have reduced the scope and length of their annual Ulchi Freedom Shield military drills after US President Donald Trump ordered a “substantial reduction” in the exercises, according to Al Jazeera’s report on Tuesday. Seoul’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said the training, which started on August 17, would be shortened from 11 days to five and end on August 21. The allies also scaled back some combined field manoeuvres, with some live training reportedly cancelled or replaced by simulations.

The South Korean military said the change was made at Washington’s suggestion. A US Defense Department official told Reuters that the adjustments were meant to preserve readiness and training goals. South Korean media, cited in the report, said Defence Minister Ahn Gyu-back indicated the second phase of the drills could be cancelled, including planned counterattack operations after an initial defensive phase.

The move follows Trump’s comments linking the cutback to his relationship with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and to Seoul’s refusal to join the US and Israel in strikes on Iran. South Korea’s foreign minister said officials in both countries had not been told in advance about the decision. North Korea again criticized the drills as threatening, while Seoul said the exercises were not intended to attack the North or raise tensions on the peninsula. The report also notes wider regional concern about US security commitments in East Asia.