Trump Cuts US-South Korea Drills, Alarms Allies
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- Trump ordered the Pentagon to 'substantially reduce' US involvement in the 11-day Ulchi Freedom Shield exercises that began Monday, calling the drills 'expensive' and claiming they would send a 'totally inappropriate and hostile' signal to North Korea.
- Trump's statement appeared to disregard North Korea's recent missile tests and Pyongyang's Friday threat of a 'new level' of nuclear deterrence, which North Korean state media called 'a rehearsal for an invasion war.'
- Trump partly tied his decision to South Korea's refusal to assist in the 'denuclearization' of Iran, and made the call without consulting Seoul, according to The Associated Press.
- South Korean President Lee Jae Myung said the South would continue to 'coordinate closely' with the US on combined defense posture and called for South Korea to bolster its own forces, while the Chosun Ilbo warned Trump was 'risking the foundations of the alliance.'
- Senator Jack Reed, the top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, called the move 'another inane, haphazard decision by President Trump and his chaotic administration,' saying 'Kim Jong Un has won a propaganda victory and South Korea, one of our strongest allies, has been punished for no reason beyond Trump's ego.'
- Senator Thom Tillis warned that cutting exercises could help Russia by enabling North Korea to send more troops to fight in Ukraine, citing Kim's deepening alliance with Moscow.
- Cornell professor David Silbey noted US forces are already overstretched, with the Navy redirecting forces from the Pacific to the Middle East amid the Iran war, and said Taiwan, Japan, and the Philippines are all watching.
Why it matters: Trump made the call without consulting Seoul, and experts like Leif-Eric Easley of Ewha Womans University argue the cost savings are 'marginal' while diplomatic benefits with North Korea are 'doubtful.' With Kim Jong Un now in a 'comfortable position' thanks to Russian military backing and showing 'no interest' in denuclearization, paring back drills hands Pyongyang a propaganda win while potentially freeing more North Korean troops to support Russia's war in Ukraine.
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