U.S. Focus on the Middle East Raises Concerns Among Asian Allies as Trump Scales Back ROK-US Drills

[Financial News, New York = Lee Byung-chul]  U.S. President Donald Trump ordered a sharp reduction in the participation of U.S. troops in the ROK-US Combined Military Exercise just one day before it was set to begin. As Washington concentrates military resources in the Middle East amid the war with Iran, Trump has publicly raised objections to the decades-old exercise, citing relations with North Korea. The move is expected to deepen security concerns among South Korea and other Asian allies.
On the 16th local time, Trump said on Truth Social that he had instructed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to "substantially reduce" U.S. participation in the ROK-US Combined Military Exercise.
Trump complained that South Korea "did not join us in the denuclearization of the Islamic Republic of Iran." He also claimed that North Korea had "not been threatening and had shown respect" during his term. He further emphasized his "very good relationship" with Kim Jong Un, Chairman of the State Affairs Commission of North Korea.
Trump said, "I do not like the fact that the United States agreed long ago to take part in joint military exercises with South Korea." He added that "these drills are expensive, and as always, the United States bears a large share of the cost." He then argued that the ROK-US Combined Military Exercise sends "a completely inappropriate and hostile signal to a country that has shown no threat and has been respectful while Trump has been president."
He explained that it was too late to cancel the exercise entirely, so he had ordered Hegseth to sharply reduce the U.S. role. The United States and South Korea have conducted joint military exercises for more than 70 years, since 1955 after the signing of the Korean Armistice Agreement.
Trump's directive came just one day before the start of the ROK-US Combined Military Exercise, known as Ulchi Freedom Shield (UFS). The exercise is scheduled to run for 11 days starting on the 17th.
It has not yet been disclosed how much the U.S. Department of Defense will scale back the exercise or troop levels. A senior U.S. military official said the Pentagon was also taken aback by Trump's sudden announcement. Some of the 18,000 South Korean troops and 28,500 USFK personnel were expected to take part in the drill.
UFS focuses on strengthening the ROK-U.S. combined defense posture and responding to a wide range of security threats, including drone and cyberattacks. North Korea has long denounced the ROK-US Combined Military Exercise as a "rehearsal for invasion." Last week, an official from the ROK-U.S. Combined Forces Command said the drill would also simulate combat scenarios involving North Korean troops that gained battlefield experience by fighting in support of Russia in the Russo-Ukrainian war.
The decision is also drawing attention because it comes as the United States, together with Israel, is fighting a war with Iran and concentrating military resources in the Middle East. The United States is facing shortages of some key weapons stockpiles and is moving part of its military assets from Asia to the Middle East.
As a result, concerns are likely to grow among South Korea and other Asian allies over how much military power the United States is willing to continue committing to deter China and North Korea.




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