The allies are set to complete the first, defensive phase and cancel or defer next week’s counter-attack phase
2-MIN READ2-MINReutersPublished: 9:03am, 19 Aug 2026Scheduled joint US and South Korean military drills are expected to be cut by about half, according to South Korean media on Wednesday, following President Donald Trump’s order to substantially reduce US participation in the annual exercises.The Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise, which began on Monday, had been due to run into next week.
The allies were set to complete the first, defensive phase of the exercise this week and cancel or defer a second phase involving counter-attack operations, reports by broadcasters KBS, MBC, as well as newspapers Kyunghyang and DongA, said.
Some planned field training was also expected to be postponed or cancelled, the reports said.
