President Trump ordered War Secretary Pete Hegseth to “substantially reduce” the size of military drills to take place in South Korea.
Trump wrote on Truth Social:
“Based on my very good relationship with Kim Jong Un, of North Korea, I am not happy with the fact that the United States has, long ago, agreed to participate in Joint Military Exercises with South Korea. 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, to a Country that, as long as Donald J. Trump has been President, has been unthreatening and respectful. Therefore, and based on the fact that it is too late to cancel, I have instructed Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, to substantially reduce the Joint Military Exercises! While somewhat unrelated(?), I recently asked the President of South Korea if they would like to join us in the Denuclearization of the Islamic Republic of Iran, and they said, ‘No thanks!’ Thank you for your attention to this matter.“
The drills are scheduled for August 17 through August 27 and were set to include an estimated 18,000 South Korean troops.
South Korea has separately announced plans to launch its first nuclear-powered submarines by the mid-2030s, a move supported by the White House.
“The United States welcomed the ROK’s commitment to contribute to modernizing and expanding the capacity of American shipbuilding industries, including through investments in U.S. shipyards and America’s workforce. The ROK welcomed the United States’ support for the ROK’s civil and naval nuclear power programs,” a November White House fact sheet reads.
