Trump Orders Hegseth to Slash U.S.-South Korea Drills Amid Rising Tensions

U.S.-South Korea drills Cut Back

President Trump told Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Sunday to substantially reduce the upcoming U.S.-South Korea drills, arguing they are “costly and send a “hostile” signal. He linked the move to his “very good relationship” with Kim Jong-un and noted Seoul’s refusal to aid U.S. denuclearization efforts in Iran. The drills, slated to begin Monday as “Ulchi Freedom Shield,” have run annually since 2022, evolving from decades‑old joint exercises.

“These exercises are not only costly, with much of these costs paid for by the United States of America (as usual!), but send a signal that is totally inappropriate and hostile,”

Trump posted on Truth Social. Reuters reported that North Korea launched its first ballistic missile since June on Wednesday, a move experts read as a protest against the drills. The United States, Japan and South Korea condemned the launch. Meanwhile, the carrier USS George Washington is being shifted from the Pacific to the Middle East to replace the USS Abraham Lincoln, leaving the Pacific without a carrier just as the U.S.-South Korea drills are being scaled back. The redeployment represents a ↓ 1 carrier gap in the region and an estimated ↓ 1.5B in annual drill spending.

Analysis by Eleanor Cross (Chief Washington Correspondent).