President Donald Trump’s sudden
announcement the US is scaling backmajor military drills with South Korea risks renewing concerns US forces are too stretched to support crucial Western allies or maintain deterrence against autocracies that threaten them. It’s also a gift to North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un at a time when he has ramped up his own nation’s threat to global stability –– and offered no concessions in return.
Just as the 10-day Ulchi Freedom Shield exercises involving tens of thousands of troops were set to begin, Trump said he had ordered the war games scaled back because North Korea has been “unthreatening and respectful” to his administration.
