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US Cancels Joint Marine Drill with South Korea Over Iran War Constraints
🇸🇬 Singapore /Conflict & Security

US Cancels Joint Marine Drill with South Korea Over Iran War Constraints

From CNA · () English

Translated from English, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources New plan
  • The US has canceled a joint marine exercise with South Korea scheduled for next month.
  • The cancellation is due to force availability constraints caused by the war with Iran.
  • This follows a previous decision to scale down separate annual drills due to cost and signaling concerns.

South Korea announced Monday that the United States has canceled a major joint amphibious landing exercise, the Ssangyong drills, planned for next month. The cancellation stems from constraints on US force availability, directly linked to the ongoing war with Iran.

The US Marine Corps formally notified our forces in June that its ability to deploy forces during this year's Ssangyong exercise would be constrained due to the situation in the Middle East.

— Han Seung-jeonA spokesman for the South Korean Marine Corps explaining the reason for the cancellation of the Ssangyong drills.

The biennial Ssangyong exercises are designed to enhance combined operations between South Korean and US marine forces, typically involving naval assets, aircraft, and ground troops rehearsing amphibious landings. The decision to call off this year's drills comes shortly after US President Donald Trump ordered a reduction in the separate annual Ulchi Freedom Shield exercises, cutting their duration significantly.

The US had cancelled a large joint amphibious landing exercise scheduled for next month due to constraints on force availability caused by the war with Iran.

— South KoreaOfficial statement from South Korea regarding the cancellation of the Ssangyong drills.

Trump cited the high cost of the Ulchi Freedom Shield drills and stated they sent an "inappropriate and hostile" signal to North Korea, while also emphasizing his relationship with leader Kim Jong Un. A spokesman for the South Korean Marine Corps, Han Seung-jeon, informed reporters that the US Marine Corps had formally communicated in June that force deployment for the Ssangyong exercise would be limited due to the Middle East situation.

The US President Donald Trump's order last week to scale down the separate annual Ulchi Freedom Shield exercises, cutting the joint drills from 11 days to five.

— South KoreaContextual information about previous drill reductions impacting military readiness.

Seoul and Washington are currently in consultations regarding the resumption of the amphibious exercise, though specific details were not provided. The Pentagon had not immediately responded to requests for comment. The earlier decision to scale back the Ulchi Freedom Shield exercises coincided with Trump's efforts to rekindle his relationship with Kim, a relationship he described as important for "getting along."

Trump at the time cited their high cost and said they sent an "inappropriate and hostile" signal to North Korea, while highlighting his relationship with its leader, Kim Jong Un.

— South KoreaReasoning provided by the US President for scaling down separate military exercises.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by CNA in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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