US Cancels Korea Marine Drills, Cites Iran War
US Cancels Korea Marine Drills, Cites Iran War
The News
The United States has cancelled a joint amphibious landing drill with South Korea that had been scheduled for next month, Seoul's Marine Corps said Monday, after Washington cited constraints on the availability of American forces caused by the war in Iran.
The US Marine Corps formally notified its South Korean counterpart in June that force availability would be limited for the division-level exercise, known as Ssangyong, a South Korean Marine Corps spokesman told a press briefing.
It is the second US-South Korea exercise in days to be cut back or called off.
Timeline
The US Marine Corps formally notifies South Korea's Marine Corps that force availability will be constrained for the division-level Ssangyong exercise.
President Donald Trump orders a separate annual joint exercise, Ulchi Freedom Shield, scaled back, citing its cost and Seoul's refusal to take part in the Iran war. The drills wrapped up Friday, several days ahead of schedule.
North Korea fires 10 short-range ballistic missiles and issues a statement denouncing the exercises.
South Korea's Marine Corps announces that next month's Ssangyong drill is cancelled.
Reactions
Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform that the Ulchi Freedom Shield drills sent "a signal that was totally inappropriate and hostile, to a Country that, as long as Donald J. Trump has been President, has been unthreatening and respectful," referring to North Korea.
The South Korean Marine Corps spokesman said the allies remain in close consultations on resuming the drills. He did not specify what measures might be taken to prevent future cancellations or to make up for lost training.
US Forces Korea did not immediately respond to a request for comment, Reuters reported.
What's Next
Seoul and Washington are still in talks on when the Ssangyong exercise can be rescheduled. The South Korean spokesman gave no date and no plan for recovering the lost training time.
More
North Korea has long condemned US-South Korean joint exercises as rehearsals for an invasion. Despite the reduction of last week's drills, Pyongyang fired 10 short-range ballistic missiles and issued a formal statement condemning them.
Suggested reader poll: Should the US keep scaling back joint exercises with South Korea while the Iran war continues?
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