Trump will put off Korea war games
President Donald Trump’s abrupt announcement yesterday that he will suspend US military drills in South Korea appeared to catch the Pentagon and the Seoul government flat-footed, and it contradicted a pillar of Defence Secretary Jim Mattis’ campaign to make US troops more combat-ready.
During a news conference following his summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, Trump pushed his unconventional approach even further by calling annual US-South Korean military exercises ‘‘provocative.’’ He also said he would like to remove all 28,500 US troops stationed in the South, although he made clear this was an option for the future, not a part of current negotiations.
The US has stationed combat troops in South Korea since the end of the 1950-53 war and has used them in a variety of large-scale drills designed to sharpen skills and test troops’ ability to operate effectively with their South Korean partners.
The next scheduled major exercise, known as Ulchi Freedom Guardian and involving tens of thousands of troops, normally is held in August.
‘‘We will be stopping the war games, which will save us a tremendous amount of money, unless and until we see the future negotiation is not going along like it should,’’ Trump said in Singapore. ‘‘But we’ll be saving a tremendous amount of money. Plus, I think it’s very provocative.’’ In a later interview with the Voice of America,
Trump said the North Koreas were ‘‘very happy’’ about his decision to freeze the exercises ‘‘because it is so provocative.’’
Several hours after Trump’s remarks, the Pentagon put out a brief statement welcoming ‘‘positive news’’ from Singapore, but it remained silent on whether Ulchi Freedom Guardian will proceed. Mattis’ chief spokeswoman, Dana W. White, told reporters he was ‘‘in full alignment’’ with Trump and had been consulted in advance on all aspects of the Singapore talks.
If Mattis was aware that Trump was going to announce a suspension of military exercises, he apparently did not share that information with the South Koreans or with the military organisation most directly affected: US Forces Korea. That US command said it had ‘‘received no updated guidance on the execution or cessation of training exercises.’’
The South Korean government also appeared caught off guard. The South Korean military seemed surprised. ‘‘At this current point, there is a need to discern the exact meaning and intent of President Trump’s comments,’’ Seoul’s Defence Ministry said, adding that there have been no discussions yet with Washington on modifying drills set for August.
Trump’s remarks contradicted decades of assertions by US administrations that military exercises in South Korea are defensive and essential to ensuring that allied forces are ready at a moment’s notice to fight the North. A favoured US slogan in South Korea is ‘‘ready to fight tonight.’’
Mattis often says his priority as Pentagon chief is to improve what he calls the ‘‘lethality’’ of the military. In his view, preparedness equates to more effective deterrence – persuading potential adversaries they cannot win and thus should not attack. – AP