Trump orders reduction in US-South Korea military drills
President Donald Trump ordered a substantial reduction in joint US-South Korea exercises scheduled for August 17–27, citing cost and his relationship with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
In short
- President Donald Trump ordered a substantial reduction in joint US-South Korea exercises scheduled for August 17–27, citing cost and his relationship with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
US President Donald Trump said on Sunday, August 16, 2026, that he had ordered a substantial reduction in joint military exercises with South Korea, a decision announced on the eve of the annual Ulchi Freedom Shield drills.
The exercises are scheduled to run from Monday, August 17, through August 27. They had been expected to include about 18,000 South Korean troops, US forces and personnel from 11 member states of the United Nations Command. Trump said it was too late to cancel the exercise but argued that the drills were costly and sent an unnecessarily hostile signal to North Korea.
South Korea’s defence ministry said the drills would proceed as previously announced. The precise scale of the US reduction and how it would affect planned field and command exercises were not immediately clear.
The order comes as US and South Korean military officials say North Korea is gaining battlefield experience through its support for Russia’s war in Ukraine. Organisers had planned for this year’s exercise to address drone operations, GPS disruption and cyberattacks alongside other threats.
North Korea has long denounced the joint exercises as preparation for war, while Washington and Seoul describe them as defensive. Pyongyang test-fired ballistic missiles in the days before the drills and warned that it would answer what it called a heightened threat with stronger deterrence.
