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South Korea, US Shorten Drills by Half 08/19 06:13
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) -- The South Korean and U.S. militaries confirmed
Wednesday they were significantly scaling back major joint drills, days after
President Donald Trump ordered the reduction in an apparent bid to reengage
with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
Trump had ordered his Pentagon chief to "substantially reduce" the allies'
summertime Ulchi Freedom Shield exercises, just before they began Monday for an
11-day run. Trump cited what he said was a good relationship with Kim and South
Korea's refusal to support him over Iran.
South Korean officials said Trump's surprise announcement came without prior
notice, baffling many people in the Asian country and raising concerns about
joint defense readiness.
South Korea's military said Wednesday the allies agreed to adjust the
duration and scale of the exercises at the request of the U.S. It said the
ongoing drills would end Friday, not Aug. 27 as initially planned. It added the
allies also agreed to downsize some joint field training exercises.
The Pentagon said that it was "continuing training that enhances tactical
capability" but certain events have been canceled or converted to simulations.
"These adjustments preserve essential readiness and training objectives. There
will be no degradation to U.S. training objectives," a Pentagon statement said.
Shortening of drills raises worries about military readiness
Many experts say Trump's move threatens to hurt the combined U.S.-South
Korean defense posture and eventually weaken their decades-long alliance.
A reduction or suspension of military drills matters because military
commanders change periodically. A one-year suspension of drills would mean
commanders unfamiliar with the procedures of the drills would be taking part
when they resume, according to Yang Uk, an analyst at Seoul's Asan Institute
for Policy Studies.
Ulchi Freedom Shield is largely a computer-simulated command post exercise
meant to hone the allies' ability to deal with potential North Korean
aggression. The two countries usually hold a set of field training exercises
during the command post exercise period.
The drills and a similar springtime exercise are a central pillar of the
U.S.-South Korea alliance, which dates to the 1950-53 Korean War. But it's also
a long-running source of tensions with North Korea, which has denounced the
exercises as a rehearsal for an invasion and responded with provocative missile
tests. Days before this month's drills began, North Korea launched two
ballistic missiles into the sea.
This month's drills were initially supposed to be held in two phases in
simulation of North Korean attacks -- the first part until this Friday on
defensive operations and the second part until Aug. 27 on counteroffensive
operations. North Korea is extremely sensitive to counteroffensive drills,
according to South Korean media.
North Korea lambasts US-South Korea drills and vows responses
North Korea hasn't responded to Trump's overture. But earlier Wednesday, its
state news agency, KCNA, published a commentary slamming the U.S.-South Korean
military drills as "frantic" and "extremely dangerous" and vowing to completely
frustrate its rivals' hostilities.
"The dangerous escalation of the war drills staged by the U.S. and its
vassal forces is posing a more serious threat to the security" of North Korea,
the commentary said. "Our exercise of right to self-defense will continue to
completely neutralize the enemies' military threat."
Many experts said Kim, now emboldened by his advancing nuclear program and
expanding military cooperation with Russia, won't likely embrace Trump's
overture and return to talks anytime soon unless he's promised bigger
concessions. In response to Trump's previous outreach, Kim suggested last year
that he can only return to talks if the U.S. drops its demand for North Korean
denuclearization as a precondition for diplomacy.
Trump and Kim met three times from 2018-2019 but their high-stakes diplomacy
eventually fell apart over wrangling over a North Korean demand for extensive
sanctions relief in return for limited denuclearization steps.
On Monday, the office of South Korean President Lee Jae Myung expressed hope
that a "friendly relationship" between Trump and Kim would lead to "meaningful
dialogue" to promote peace on the Korean Peninsula. Lee is a liberal who wants
better ties with North Korea.
But his office's statement drew a strong backlash from conservatives, who
alleged Lee's government was prioritizing the resumption of Kim-Trump diplomacy
over security concerns caused by Trump's move.
Trump's move may focus on South Korea over Iran
In his social media post, Trump said the drills are not only costly but
"send a signal that is totally inappropriate and hostile" to North Korea, which
he said "has been unthreatening and respectful" during his time in the White
House. Trump said he asked Lee if South Korea would join the U.S. in the
"denuclearization" of Iran, "and they said, 'No thanks!'"
At separate parliamentary hearings Wednesday, South Korean Foreign Minister
Cho Hyun and Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back said neither South Korean nor U.S.
officials were informed of Trump's move before his social media post.
Cho said the alliance remains strong, while Ahn said South Korean and U.S.
defense officials were maintaining close consultations.
Some experts say Trump's cut of the drills was more likely designed to apply
pressure on South Korea to give him substantial support over the Iran war than
to reach out to North Korea.
"Trump's message is that if you don't cooperate with us on Iran, we're not
cooperating with you" on the drills either, said Yang, the analyst. "It's like
he's asking South Korea to show it's helping him over Iran" by taking steps
like sending warships or reinforcing missile defenses in some areas.
South Korean officials said South Korea and the U.S. are closely discussing
practical and military contributions that South Korea can make to help restore
freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.
It wasn't the first time that the U.S. and South Korea have scaled back or
canceled their drills.
In 2018, Trump abruptly announced the cancellation of a major war game with
South Korea, after his first summit with Kim. Announcing the decision, Trump
said suspending the "provocative" war games would "save us a tremendous amount
of money."
The U.S. and South Korea have since canceled or reduced other joint drills
to support diplomacy with North Korea and cope with the COVID-19 pandemic.
Experts say reducing those drills has undermined the combined South Korea-U.S.
readiness.
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