The US military has scrapped an amphibious landing exercise with South Korea, marking the latest pullback in Asia. According to Seoul, the cancellation is due to shortages related to deployments and demands from wars in the Middle East, specifically the US war against Iran.
South Korea stated that the decision to call off the high-profile event was communicated in June. This move serves as the first apparent confirmation of a major cut to scheduled American military training in the Asia-Pacific region.
The cancellation follows a separate order from President Donald Trump to scale down the annual Ulchi Freedom Shield exercises, cutting the joint drills from 11 days to five. President Trump also shortened another joint military exercise earlier this month.