US cancels large-scale exercises with South Korea due to war with Iran
The United States has canceled the large-scale joint amphibious landing exercise Ssangyong with South Korea, which was scheduled to take place in September. The reason was the limited availability of American forces due to the ongoing war with Iran. This was reported by the Republic of Korea Marine Corps.
As early as June, the U.S. Marine Corps officially notified the South Korean side that Washington's ability to deploy the necessary forces to the exercise would be limited because of the situation in the Middle East.
Ssangyong is a major division-level exercise usually held every two years. It involves units of the U.S. and South Korean marine corps, naval vessels, aircraft, and ground forces. Troops practice amphibious assault landing and conducting joint operations.
Seoul and Washington continue consultations on a possible resumption of these exercises in the future, but no new dates have been announced yet.
The cancellation of Ssangyong is another sign that the war with Iran is beginning to affect the United States' ability to maintain the previous scale of military presence in Asia. Some American forces and equipment have been redeployed to the Middle East region.
The decision came shortly after the reduction of another major U.S.-South Korean exercise, Ulchi Freedom Shield. Originally, it was supposed to last 11 days, from August 17 to 27, but on the orders of U.S. President Donald Trump, it ended on August 21.
Trump explained the reduction of Ulchi Freedom Shield by its high cost, relations with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, and dissatisfaction with South Korea's refusal to join U.S. actions against Iran.
At the same time, the cancellation of Ssangyong is directly related to the lack of available U.S. forces. Thus, this is a different set of exercises and a separate decision, not a continuation of the reduction of Ulchi Freedom Shield.
North Korea has traditionally called U.S.-South Korean exercises a preparation for invasion. Despite the reduction of Ulchi Freedom Shield, Pyongyang launched ten short-range ballistic missiles last week and again condemned the joint maneuvers of the United States and South Korea.
Sources: Reuters / The Korea Times, Euronews
