Pentagon says 'no changes' to announce about ongoing Korea-US exercise
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Defense Department said Monday that it has "no changes" to announce regarding the ongoing South Korea-U.S. military exercise, a day after President Donald Trump said he instructed the Pentagon to "substantially" reduce allied exercises. Trump unveiled his directive on the combined exercises with South Korea in a social media post on Sunday, as Seoul and Washington kicked off…
The U.S. Defense Department announced on Monday that there will be no modifications to the ongoing South Korea-US military exercise, despite President Donald Trump's directive on reducing allied drills. Trump's announcement, made on social media on Sunday, indicated that he had instructed the Pentagon to substantially diminish these exercises.
The Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise, which began on Monday, is designed to enhance the allies' capabilities against potential North Korean aggression. A Pentagon official confirmed to Yonhap News Agency that there are no changes to the Ulchi Freedom Shield 2026 exercise at this time, directing further inquiries about Trump's comments or the broader policy direction to the White House.
The White House did not provide immediate comment to Yonhap. In his Sunday post on social media platform Truth Social, Trump detailed his decision to reduce the drills, citing both their high costs and the perception of being an "inappropriate and hostile" signal to North Korea.
Written by urgent.news from The Korea Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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