US and South Korea nearly halved military drills

The US and South Korea have agreed to end the annual Ulchi Freedom Shield joint military exercises early. Instead of August 27, the maneuvers will end on Friday, August 21 — a week earlier than planned. This was announced by the Joint Chiefs of Staff of South Korea and the Pentagon. 

The allies are also reducing field training. According to the Pentagon, some practical episodes have been reduced, some cancelled, and some converted to simulation format. Washington stated at the same time that the changes should not impair the fulfilment of key combat training tasks.

South Korean Defense Minister An Gyu-bek stated that the second half of Ulchi Freedom Shield, which involves rehearsing a counterattack in response to aggression, will most likely be cancelled. Initially, the exercises were supposed to last 11 days - from August 17 to 27. 

The reduction was a practical implementation of the decision by US President Donald Trump. Kurs Ukraine previously reported that on August 16, Trump ordered the Pentagon to significantly reduce the scale of the joint exercises, citing their cost and his good relations with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. At that time, specific parameters of the reduction had not yet been determined.

In 2019, during Trump's first presidential term and active negotiations between Washington and Pyongyang, the US and South Korea also reduced joint military maneuvers.

Based on materials from: Yonhap News Agency