S. Korea, US shorten UFS exercise, scale back field drills
South Korea and the United States have agreed to end their ongoing Ulchi Freedom Shield (UFS) exercise early on Friday and scale back some combined field training exercises, Seoul’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said Wednesday. The allies agreed to adjust the duration and scale of the exercise at the U.S. side’s proposal, shortening UFS, which began Monday, to run through Friday. They will also…
The South Korean and U.S. militaries have shortened a joint military exercise and scaled back its field drills, as per President Donald Trump's directive. The Ulchi Freedom Shield (UFS) exercise, which began on Monday, was originally scheduled to run until August 27, but will now conclude six days earlier, on August 21. The allies agreed to the adjustment at the request of the United States.
They will complete the first phase of the exercise, focusing on defensive operations, on Friday, while canceling the second phase, which involved counteroffensive operations and was planned for August 24 to 27. Some combined field training exercises at the battalion level or above will also be scaled back, though details are still under discussion.
The allies plan to conduct 159 field training exercises in total this year. The adjustment comes after Trump expressed his displeasure with the long-running South Korea-U.S. exercises, citing his "very good relationship" with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and North Korea's unthreatening and respectful behavior.
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