WASHINGTON — The US military will scale back its participation in a joint exercise with South Korea this month due to the message it sends to Pyongyang and the event’s cost, US President Donald Trump announced in a social media post Sunday.
“These exercises are not only costly […] but send a signal that is completely inappropriate and hostile,” Trump wrote, while also citing his “very good relationship” with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un.
He also linked the decision to Seoul’s reluctance to take military actions against Iran.
“While somewhat unrelated (?), I recently asked the President of South Korea if they would like to join us in the Denuclearization of the Islamic Republic of Iran, and they said, ‘No thanks!’” Trump wrote.
Ulchi Freedom Shield, a large-scale, annual military exercise conducted by both South Korea and the US is slated to kick off today and run through Aug. 27. Trump said it is “too late” to cancel US participation, but he instructed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to “substantially reduce” the entire exercise.
In the past, the exercise has involved large-scale live-fire events, close air support and air interdiction missions involving thousands of training sorties, and special operations forces countering simulated weapons of mass destruction.
A Pentagon spokesperson declined to answer questions about what this exercise reduction means in practical terms, and referred all questions to the White House. A US Forces Korea webpage on the exercise displayed a “page not found” message Monday morning while lawmakers began weighing in on the announcement.
Sen. Mark Kelly, an Arizona Democrat who sits on the Senate Armed Services Committee, called Sunday’s announcement “shortsighted and a mistake.”
“North and South Korea are still technically at war,” Kelly wrote in a social media post. “Our ability to help defend our ally against the North Koreans is because our forces are well trained and able to coordinate with the South Koreans.”
Sen. Andy Kim, D-N.J., said he is concerned about the post and it “suggests a disregard” for the relationship between the two countries.
“Decisions about joint exercises need to be made jointly — and not announced unilaterally by social media,” Kim wrote.
While Trump’s post was sudden given the timeline to start the joint exercise, it comes at a time of upheaval between the US and traditional allies across the globe, often over widespread reluctance to support the American war with Iran.
Seoul has been a focal point of such tensions, with the US reportedly considering a troop reduction on the peninsula. When the Trump administration released the new National Defense Strategy in January, it hinted at changes to the US-South Korea relationship.
“South Korea is capable of taking primary responsibility for deterring North Korea with critical but more limited U.S. support,” the document reads. “South Korea also has the will to do so, given that it faces a direct and clear threat from North Korea. This shift in the balance of responsibility is consistent with America’s interest in updating U.S. force posture on the Korean Peninsula.”
Meanwhile, additional exercise reductions could be on the horizon too as the administration and Pentagon leaders grapple with cost concerns and an increase needed for military assets in US Central Command. US Pacific Air Forces Commander Gen. Kevin Schneider, for example, warned late last month that the military was reevaluating its upcoming exercise schedule to help preserve “readiness” in the face of increased commitments around the globe, including the Middle East.
“We’re looking at … how we manage [readiness] against … all the other things that are going on around the world,” PACAF Commander Gen. Kevin Schneider said at the time.
“I think we’ve done a pretty good job of identifying, amongst commanders, where we’re going to take risk or how we manage the risks as we prioritize … [efforts] in the CENTCOM [Central Command] region right now, and what are those things that you know we are able to absorb as commanders elsewhere in the Air Force enterprise,” he added.