South Korea says the South Korean and US militaries have agreed to shorten their drills
The allies cut the exercise to Aug. 21 and reduced field training, saying the changes preserve readiness.
- On August 16, President Donald Trump ordered the Pentagon to reduce the Ulchi Freedom Shield military exercises with South Korea, a day after posting a photo with North Korean dictator Kim Jong-Un inside the demilitarized zone.
- Trump justified the reduction by criticizing South Korea's refusal to support U.S. Iran operations, telling South Korea's president, "We have 39,000 soldiers over there, guarding you, from Kim Jong Un, your next door neighbor, and you're not going to help us on a very easy military operation in Iran?"
- Under a Biden administration agreement, South Korea pays $1.19 billion in 2026 to support roughly 28,500 American troops; Trump claimed his first-term demand for $3 billion annually was rescinded by Biden.
- Retired Rear Admiral Mark Montgomery called the move "befuddling and illogical," while Retired Army Lt. Gen. Mark Hertling warned Trump is destroying longtime alliances through a pattern of bullying U.S. partners.
- This move extends a 19-month pattern of Trump attacking close allies from Canada to Spain to Denmark and recently threatening Oman, as nations increasingly notice disagreements with Washington convert into military threats rather than diplomatic resolution.
227 Articles
227 Articles
The South Korean and US militaries have agreed to significantly curtail their military exercises at the request of the US, South Korean officials said today.
The annual military exercises between South Korea and the United States will end approximately a week earlier than expected, as both countries announced on Wednesday, following the order of U.S. President Donald Trump to reduce the maneuvers. The U.S. president declared on Sunday that he had ordered the Pentagon to shorten the annual exercises 'Ulchi Freedom Shield' (Ulchi Shield of Freedom) a day before its start, claiming his "good relationshi…
Trump hammers another US ally for lack of support on Iran
WASHINGTON— President Donald Trump put another U.S. ally he says was insufficiently supportive of the Iran war on notice, directing the Pentagon to scale back joint military exercises with South Korea, a country he pressed to pay more for its…
U.S. President Trump has criticized the military maneuvers held together with South Korea. A particularly critical part of the exercises should probably be eliminated completely. Out of consideration for North Korea?
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