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Trump Orders the Pentagon to "Substantially Reduce" Joint Exercises With South Korea, Citing His Relationship With Kim Jong Un and Seoul's Refusal to Join the Iran War — Drawing Bipartisan Backlash
August 17, 2026
On Sunday, August 16, 2026, hours before the annual Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise was set to begin, President Trump posted on Truth Social that he had instructed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to "substantially reduce" the joint military exercises the United States conducts with South Korea. He said the drills were costly and sent a signal "totally inappropriate and hostile" to North Korea, which he described as "unthreatening and respectful" during his time in office, and he grounded the decision in his "very good relationship" with Kim Jong Un. Trump added a second rationale in the same post: he had recently asked South Korean President Lee Jae Myung to join the US in the "Denuclearization of the Islamic Republic of Iran," and Seoul had declined. Ulchi Freedom Shield, a roughly ten-day exercise focused on cyberattacks, drone activity and GPS disruption, began Monday, August 17 — too late to cancel outright, which is why the order was to shrink it rather than scrap it. South Korea's defense ministry said it would "proceed as previously notified and scheduled," and President Lee's office said the two governments had "maintained close coordination." The backlash was bipartisan. Sen. Jack Reed, the ranking Democrat on Senate Armed Services, called it "another inane, haphazard decision" and warned that China and Russia were watching. Republican Sen. Thom Tillis said cutting the drills does nothing but free up North Korean troops fighting for Russia in Ukraine. Sen. Mark Kelly, a Navy veteran, called it "shortsighted and a mistake." Sen. Andy Kim objected to the unilateral, social-media announcement of a joint decision, and Reps. Frank Pallone and Pramila Jayapal accused the president of appeasing a dictator. As of publication no Republican member of Congress had gone on record defending the decision. The move revives objections Trump raised in his first term, when he suspended major drills after his 2018 Singapore summit with Kim, and lands as US military hardware has been pulled from the Indo-Pacific for the war against Iran.
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“I didn’t like the fact that we’re doing these massive military exercises against North Korea.
“I wouldn’t have allowed it. But he’s got them.
“Neither our government nor U.S. officials knew what President Trump wrote on his Truth Social.
“The order to reduce the exercise was made unilaterally.
“South Korea has been a solid military ally for over 70 years that possesses exquisite military capabilities. Reducing joint exercises with South Korea does nothing more than free up thousands of North Korea's troops to support Putin's systematic kidnapping, torture, rape, and murder of innocent Ukrainian citizens.
“This is another inane, haphazard decision by President Trump and his chaotic administration. America's alliances are built on trust and strength. When President Trump cuts military exercises to flatter a dictator or punishes South Korea for declining to join a war he started, all of our allies — and adversaries — think that America's commitments are negotiable. China and Russia are watching how easily this president abandons America's allies, and they will remember it the next time they test us.
“Decisions about joint exercises need to be made jointly — and not announced unilaterally by social media.
“Trump is truly unhinged if he thinks North Korea — a rogue state that has sought America's defeat since day one — is worth appeasing like this. Our president seeks validation from dictators and despots, all while casting our allies aside. It's shameful.
“So — our US wannabe authoritarian ruler has decided to ditch democracy in South Korea for the authoritarian rules in North Korea that he so admires?
“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... 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!"
“North and South Korea are still technically at war. Our ability to help defend our ally against the North Koreans is because our forces are well trained and able to coordinate with the South Koreans. Hollowing out these joint exercises is shortsighted and a mistake.