President Donald Trump said he’s told the Pentagon to “substantially reduce” joint military exercises with South Korea, indicating his shift was driven by frustration the longtime US ally hadn’t provided more support for his war with Iran.
Trump said in a social post Sunday the drills were costly and sent an “inappropriate signal” to North Korea, citing his “very good relationship” with its leader Kim Jong Un. A 10-day joint exercise involving some 18,000 South Korean troops was scheduled to begin Monday with the goal of addressing new threats from North Korea, officials in Seoul said last week.
Trump said while it was too late to cancel the exercises, they would be reduced. The South Korean Defense Ministry said in a statement that joint drills will go ahead as announced previously.
South Korea, like many US allies, has declined to get involved in the US-Israeli war on Iran, which began with airstrikes on Feb. 28. Trump has previously complained about European allies refusing to let the US use their airfields to launch attacks.
Trump’s apparent decision to again use a military commitment as leverage may cause concern among other Asia-Pacific allies such as Japan and Australia. Both have security treaties with the US, but have also opted to stay out of the Iran conflict.
“Japan will certainly be concerned,” said Adam Farrar, a former director on the US National Security Council covering Korea in both the Trump and Biden administrations. “If this was driven by Iran, they themselves are at risk, given their own unwillingness to get involved.”
“No matter what the reason is, this type of last-minute decision will raise questions about the US commitment to its Asian allies and potentially impact deterrence,” he added.
Trump’s announcement came as the lone US aircraft carrier in the Asia-Pacific region, the USS George Washington, was being diverted from the region to the Middle East, according to the US Naval Institute. The US typically keeps at least one carrier in the region to help deter China and North Korea.
Trump’s motivation for his latest announcement wasn’t fully clear, but in his social post, he wrote: “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!’ ”
The president’s announcement also came after South Korea said talks on strategic investment projects were continuing between the countries, following a media report that Washington is pressing Seoul to accelerate the plans.
While the US and South Korea have conducted joint military drills for decades, they were curtailed during Trump’s first presidency when he negotiated with Kim. Those talks collapsed without any agreement on North Korea’s nuclear weapons program.
“This time, the rationale is less clear. With Russian backing, Kim is in a stronger position and has so far shown little interest in engagement,” said Farrar, now of
Trump’s announcement raises the question of how the exercises, known as Ulchi Freedom Shield, might be reduced at short notice. US military officials have portrayed the drills as a means to counter North Korean capabilities that have been honed on the battlefield, as Pyongyang continues to provide military support for Russia in its war on Ukraine.