US Halts Planning For War Games Exercise With South Korea
The United States has halted an upcoming war games exercise with South Korea that was slated for later this summer.
Consistent with President Donald J. Trump’s commitment to North Korea and in concert with South Korea, the United States military has suspended all planning for Ulchi Freedom Guardian, this August’s defensive war game, Dana W. White, chief Pentagon spokesperson, said in a statement.
“We are still coordinating additional actions,” she said. “No decisions on subsequent war games have been made.”
There will be a meeting on this issue at the Pentagon later this week with the defense secretary, secretary of state and the national security advisor, she said. “There is no impact on Pacific exercises outside of the Korean Peninsula.”
Ulchi Freedom Guardian is an annual U.S.-South Korean command and control exercise that began in 1976 and is designed to enhance readiness, protect the region and maintain stability on the Korean Peninsula. Last year, about 17,500 U.S. service members took part, as well as participants from Australia, Canada, Colombia, Denmark, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and New Zealand.
