Pledge to halt military exercises surprises Pentagon and Seoul
President WASHINGTON — DonaldTrump’s pledgeTuesday to cancel military exercises on the Korean Peninsula surprised not only allies in South Korea but also the Pentagon.
Hours after Trump’s announcement in Singapore, U.S. troops in Seoul said they are still moving ahead with a military exercise this fall — Ulchi Freedom Guardian — until they receive guidance otherwise fromthe chain of command.
Lt. Col. Jennifer Lovett, a U.S. militaryspokeswomanin SouthKorea, said in an email that theU.S. commandthere “has received no updated guidanceonexecutionorcessation of training exercises— to include this fall’s schedule Ulchi Freedom Guardian.”
“We will continue with our current military posture until we receive updated guidance from the Departmentof Defense,” she added.
InWashington, officials at the Pentagon, State Department and White House were scrambling to figure out exactly the impact of Trump’s comments.
“The Department of Defense continues to work with the White House, the interagency, andouralliesand partnersonthewayforward,” Lt. Col. Christopher Logan, a Pentagon spokesman, said in an email. “We will provide additional information as it becomes available.”
In Seoul, PresidentMoon Jae-in of South Korea hailed Trump’s summit meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Moon called the joint statement thatwas released after the meeting “a historic event that has helped break down the last remaining ColdWar legacy on earth.”
But Trump’s promise to end jointmilitary exercises with Seoul left many South Koreans stunned. Theannual exercises have been an integral partof thealliance, forming the bulwark of South Korea’sdefenseagainstNorth Korea and Seoul’s sense of security among bigger powers in the region.
Trump’s announcement raised fears in the South Korean capital that Washington was making concessions too fast, before North Korea has dismantled its nuclear weapons.
The SouthKorean Defense Ministry hurriedly issued a curt statement saying that it was trying to figure out Trump’s intentions.
U.S. officials said the military exercises are important because the allies use themtoensure readinessand promote the ability to operate with similar equipment and tactics. On a strategic level, they demonstrate the strength of the decadeslong alliance with South Korea.
“On the face of it, seems like a pretty big concession,” said BrianMcKeon, whowas a senior Pentagon official during the Obama administration.
McKeon added that it was unclear whether Trump’s order applies only tomajor war games like Ulchi FreedomGuardian, or a series of other smaller, but important, training maneuvers. “It would definitely impact readiness” of both U.S. and SouthKorean forces, he said.
In a Tuesday news conference in Singapore, before heading back to Washington, Trump focused on the potential cost savings of ending major exercises, which he saidwere “tremendously expensive” to conduct.
“We will be stopping the war games, which will save us a tremendous amount of money,” the president said, also criticizing South Korea for not defrayingmore of the costs.“Wehavetotalktothem. Wehavetotalktomanycountries about treating us fairly.”
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., who speaks to Trump regularly, played down the impact of halting any exercises. But he strongly cautioned against another proposalTrumphasbeenweighing: reducing the 28,500U.S. troops nowstationed on the Korean Peninsula.
“I don’t think canceling a war game is going to matter over the arc of time,” Graham said on NBC’s “Today” program.
“TheonethingthatIwould violently disagree with is removing our troops,” he said. “I can’t imagine Iwould vote for any agreement that requires us to withdraw our forces because that would destabilize Asia. That’s what China wants. That doesn’t maketheworldmorepeaceful, itmakes itmore dangerous.”
Trump’s announcement raised fears in the South Korean capital that Washingtonwas making concessions too fast, before North Korea has dismantled its nuclearweapons.