Pentagon begins planning which South Korea exercises should be 'sped up, scaled back or suspended'

[mystery-ak]

Pentagon begins planning which South Korea exercises should be 'sped up, scaled back or suspended'
by Jamie McIntyre
 | June 12, 2018 11:12 AM



The U.S. military is making plans to restructure, scale down, and reschedule military training with South Korea, while ensuring troops remain at a high state of readiness, Pentagon officials said Tuesday.

“We will maintain the fighting readiness of our forces,” said one official who spoke on condition of anonymity because the policy is still being refined.

But several sources said training would continue without the high-profile "in-your-face” named exercises that are regularly announced and given aggressive code names such as Max Thunder and Key Resolve.

A statement is expected soon from the Pentagon in the wake of President Trump’s surprise announcement in Singapore that the U.S. is stopping joint “war games” with the South, “unless and until we see the future negotiation is not going along like it should.”

The Pentagon confirmed that the next major military exercise — Ulchi Freedom Guardian — is scheduled for the fall. A spokesman said no new guidance has gone out to commanders in the field because there are still many questions on how the president’s commitment will be implemented.

Last year's exercise was held in August, lasted 10 days and involved 17,500 U.S. troops. Service members from South Korea joined forces with the U.S. and seven other countries. Ulchi Freedom Guardian is a "computer simulated defense exercise," the Pentagon says.

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https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/policy/defense-national-security/pentagon-begins-planning-which-south-korea-exercises-should-be-sped-up-scaled-back-or-suspended