Trump orders major cut to US-South Korea joint war games, raising alliance concerns

For decades the United States and South Korea have conducted the Ulchi Freedom Shield drill to synchronize their forces against possible North Korean aggression. This year’s iteration, expected to involve roughly 18,000 South Korean soldiers and incorporate lessons from the Russia-Ukraine conflict, was abruptly ordered to be “substantially” scaled back by President Donald Trump just before its start. Trump justified the move by pointing to a positive relationship with Kim Jong Un and Seoul’s refusal to join a US-led war on Iran, but did not specify which parts of the 11-day exercise would be cut.

Analysts say the reduction could weaken combined readiness, especially as commanders rotate and a planned transfer of wartime operational control to a South Korean general is underway. North Korea’s foreign ministry has denounced the drills as a war rehearsal and warned of a new level of deterrence. High-ranking officials, including General Xavier Brunson and Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back, are reportedly negotiating the revised scope of the exercises.