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Trump Orders Large Cut to U.S. Role in South Korea’s Ulchi Freedom Shield

Trump cited his rapport with Kim Jong Un plus Seoul’s refusal to back U.S. action in the Iran war as the reason for the reduction, a move critics warn could weaken alliance credibility.

U.S. Army soldiers take part in a U.S.-South Korea joint river-crossing exercise, part of the annual Freedom Shield military training, near the Demilitarized Zone separating North and South Korea in Yeoncheon, South Korea, on March 14, 2026.
U.S. Army's armored vehicles gather to cross a river at a training field in Yeoncheon, South Korea, near the border with North Korea, Monday, Aug. 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
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U.S. Army's soldiers conduct a training exercise on a river in Yeoncheon, South Korea, near the border with North Korea, Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

Overview

  • The annual Ulchi Freedom Shield exercises, which began Monday, Aug. 17, have been scaled back at the U.S. request with Seoul saying the drills will end on Aug. 21 rather than Aug. 27 while the two militaries consult on what training to reduce.
  • President Trump announced he had instructed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to “substantially reduce” U.S. participation and publicly linked the order to his personal rapport with Kim Jong Un and frustration that South Korea did not join U.S. actions in the Iran war.
  • South Korea’s Ministry of Defense confirmed some combined field training will be cut and that ROK-U.S. commanders are preserving core objectives for combined defense as they work out specific adjustments.
  • Analysts and U.S. and South Korean officials warned the last-minute reduction risks eroding deterrence and combined readiness because the annual drills rehearse joint command, live-fire and cyber and anti-drone responses to North Korean threats.
  • The move echoes Trump-era precedents from 2018 when exercises were curtailed for diplomacy and comes after recent North Korean missile launches and the temporary redeployment of a U.S. carrier to the Middle East, raising wider regional security concerns.