Trump Orders Pentagon to Cut Joint Military Drills With South Korea

On August 16, 2026, President Trump ordered the Pentagon to substantially reduce the Ulchi Freedom Shield exercises with South Korea, involving roughly 18,000 South Korean troops and personnel from 11 UN Command states. The drills were designed to certify South Korea's readiness to assume wartime operational control. Trump cited his "very good relationship with Kim Jong-un" and said North Korea had been "unthreatening and respectful."