{"id":61586,"date":"2018-06-12T19:28:17","date_gmt":"2018-06-12T19:28:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/uncategorized\/2018\/06\/12\/trumps-vow-to-end-military-drills-with-seoul-stuns-a-region\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T11:58:16","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T11:58:16","slug":"trumps-vow-to-end-military-drills-with-seoul-stuns-a-region","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/flashpoints\/2018\/06\/12\/trumps-vow-to-end-military-drills-with-seoul-stuns-a-region\/","title":{"rendered":"Trump\u2019s vow to end military drills with Seoul stuns a region"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">SINGAPORE \u2014 President Donald Trump rocked the region with the stunning announcement Tuesday that he was halting annual <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/flashpoints\/2018\/05\/15\/north-korea-threatens-to-cancel-summit-over-us-south-korea-military-exercises-news-report-says\/\" title=\"\" class=\"\" target=\"_blank\">U.S.-South Korean military drills<\/a> \u2014 and wants to remove the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/your-military\/2018\/04\/18\/us-forces-in-korea-arent-packing-up-just-yet-heres-why\/\" title=\"\" class=\"\" target=\"_blank\">28,500 U.S. troops stationed in the South<\/a> as a deterrent against North Korea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Trump\u2019s surprise, almost offhand comments, made during a news conference after his summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, seemingly upended decades of the U.S. defense posture on the Korean Peninsula.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/flashpoints\/2018\/06\/12\/pentagon-assessing-trump-directive-to-cancel-korea-military-exercises\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP18163082897748.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">President Trump has ordered the Pentagon to cancel military exercises with South Korea \u2014 what happens next?<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">Troops are staying put, for now \u2014 but the joint Republic of Korea-U.S. exercises may be canceled.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The remarks contradicted countless previous declarations by U.S. political and military officials over the years that the drills are routine, defensive and absolutely critical.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Trump has now essentially adopted the standard North Korean line, calling the military exercises a \u201cprovocative\u201d drain of money and announcing they would stop while he continues talks with Kim, whom he repeatedly praised as a solid negotiating partner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">His statement was quickly portrayed by critics as a major, unreciprocated concession to a country that only last year was threatening Seoul and Washington with nuclear war.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"apester-media\" data-media-id=\"5b203074ed4c5314a686450f\" height=\"440\"><\/div><script async src=\"\/\/static.apester.com\/js\/sdk\/v2.0\/apester-javascript-sdk.min.js\"><\/script>\n\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It also seemed to leave officials completely off guard in South Korea, where the presence of U.S. troops has long been described as necessary to maintaining peace on the peninsula.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Seoul\u2019s presidential office told The Associated Press that it was trying to parse Trump\u2019s comments. The South Korean military seemed similarly surprised.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cAt this current point, there is a need to discern the exact meaning and intent of President Trump\u2019s comments,\u201d Seoul\u2019s Defense Ministry said, adding that there have been no discussions yet with Washington on modifying drills set for August.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">U.S. forces in South Korea said it has \u201creceived no updated guidance on the execution or cessation of training exercises\u201d and will continue to coordinate with South Korean partners and maintain the current posture until it receives an updated guidance from the Department of Defense or the Indo-Pacific Command.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/flashpoints\/2018\/05\/16\/this-is-the-military-exercise-that-has-kim-jung-un-spooked-and-may-throw-a-wrench-in-trumps-historic-summit\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"157\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP_17202271185293.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">This is the military exercise that may throw a wrench in Trump\u2019s historic summit<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">The issue involves a joint U.S.-South Korea military exercise that Pentagon officials say should be anything but threatening.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Trump\u2019s comments will be questioned by many in South Korea and beyond, with some seeing in them an effort by North Korea to drive a wedge between Seoul and Washington.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">North Korea regularly calls the military exercises provocative preparations for a northward invasion, and many of the scariest standoffs in recent years on the Korean Peninsula have happened when the drills were being staged. Outside analysts believe the North objects to the drills because it must spend precious resources on its own war games and troop movements. North Korea also insists that the U.S. troop presence in the South, as well as its nuclear \u201cumbrella\u201d over allies Seoul and Tokyo, are part of America\u2019s \u201chostile\u201d policy toward the North.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP18163330868092.jpg.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-99125\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP18163330868092.jpg.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP18163330868092.jpg.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP18163330868092.jpg.jpg?resize=768,512 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">U.S. President Donald Trump answers questions about the summit with North Korea leader Kim Jong Un during a press conference at the Capella resort on Sentosa Island Tuesday, June 12, 2018, in Singapore. (Susan Walsh\/AP)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI want to bring our soldiers back home,\u201d Trump said, although he added that it\u2019s \u201cnot part of the equation right now.\u201d Then he said: \u201cWe will be stopping the war games, which will save us a tremendous amount of money unless and until we see the future negotiation is not going along like it should. But we\u2019ll be saving a tremendous amount of money. Plus, I think it\u2019s very provocative.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The comments could fundamentally change the way the United States, whose alliance with Seoul was forged after a 1950 surprise attack by the North started the Korean War, operates in South Korea.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/your-military\/2018\/05\/03\/will-we-stay-or-will-we-go-a-look-at-removing-us-troops-from-south-korea\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/South-Korea-training.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">Will we stay or will we go? A look at removing US troops from South Korea<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">President Trump said recently he would consider removing U.S. troops to get a better trade deal with South Korea.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Trump\u2019s announcement that the U.S. would stop military exercises, his description of those drills as \u201cprovocative\u201d and his suggestion that he wants to pull U.S. troops out at some point are \u201call things that Trump is putting on the table as concessions, all in exchange for some vague promises by the North Koreans,\u201d said Paul Haenle, a former China director at the White House National Security Council in the Barack Obama and George W. Bush administrations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Annual military drills between Washington and Seoul have been a major source of contention between the Koreas for years, and analysts have wondered whether their continuation would hurt the inter-Korean detente that, since an outreach by Kim in January, has replaced last year\u2019s insults and threats of war. North Korea last month broke off a high-level meeting with Seoul over South Korea\u2019s participation in a two-week military exercise with the United States.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">North Korea\u2019s state media, referring to the drills, recently demanded that Washington \u201cstop the acts of threatening its dialogue partner by force.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Since the 1970s, the United States and South Korea have held a major summertime exercise called Ulchi Freedom Guardian that involves tens of thousands of troops. There are also annual springtime drills. Drills called Team Spirit, one of the largest annual military maneuvers in the world at the time, were held from 1976 until 1993, when, after North Korea agreed to dismantle its existing nuclear facilities, the exercises were canceled and have not been held since.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/flashpoints\/2018\/04\/24\/ahead-of-summits-us-tones-down-war-games-with-south-korea\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/3251072.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">Ahead of summits, US tones down war games with South Korea<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">This year, the exercises have been postponed, scaled back, probably shortened and certainly toned down. They have not, however, been canceled. Here\u2019s why:<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Moon Seong Mook, a former South Korean military official, said Trump\u2019s comments on the drills confirmed what many in South Korea had feared all along \u2014 that North Korea would attempt to drive a wedge between Washington and Seoul and gain substantial concessions from an unconventional U.S. president who thinks much less of the traditional alliance than his predecessors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe core of the U.S.-South Korea alliance is the U.S. troops stationed in South Korea and the joint U.S.-South Korea military drills, but the American military presence in South Korea wouldn\u2019t mean much if the militaries don\u2019t practice through joint drills,\u201d said Moon, now a senior analyst for the Seoul-based Korea Research Institute for National Strategy. \u201cI am concerned that the summit between Trump and Kim will prove to be a setback in the global efforts to denuclearize North Korea and also introduce instability in the alliance between Seoul and Washington.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><i>Associated Press writers Kim Tong-hyung in Seoul and Gillian Wong in Beijing contributed to this report.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>President Donald Trump rocked the region with the stunning announcement Tuesday that he was halting annual U.S.-South Korean military drills \u2014 and wants to remove the 28,500 U.S. troops stationed in the South as a deterrent against North Korea.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":99121,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":13,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":[]},"categories":[101,13,16,26,65,67],"tags":[],"coauthors":[2346],"class_list":["post-61586","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-daily-news-roundup","category-flashpoints","category-news","category-newsletters","category-pentagon-congress","category-your-air-force"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"EGRUSHHQFRDBXEGMNUZG2EEADI","arc_canonical_url":"\/flashpoints\/2018\/06\/12\/trumps-vow-to-end-military-drills-with-seoul-stuns-a-region\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented 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