Trump asks Pentagon to scale back joint military exercises with South Korea
In relation to the USS Lincoln fiasco, US Senator Ruben Gallego said in an interview that Trump sees the US military as mere “toys and as ways to basically show off or show his strength”, adding that this in itself is another example of the Trump administration’s “true lack of leadership.”
US President Donald Trump has ordered the Pentagon to scale back the Ulchi Freedom Shield (UFS) exercise amid the escalated global tensions over the war against Iran.
Trump said on Sunday he had instructed the Pentagon to substantially reduce the joint military exercises, which kicked off on Monday. Trump had claimed in his social media post that the joint exercises are both costly and misleading.
He wrote that the annual military exercises with South Korea “send a signal that is totally inappropriate and hostile” to North Korea.
Trump claimed his behavior towards his North Korean counterpart Kim Jong Un “has been unthreatening and respectful” during his time in the White House.
“Therefore, and based on the fact that it is too late to cancel, I have instructed Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, to substantially reduce the Joint Military Exercises!” Trump wrote.
The US president added that he recently asked South Korea’s president if they would join the US in its war on Iran, and he replied, ‘No thanks!’”
However, South Korea’s Defense Ministry said on Monday that the UFS exercises are being held as planned. It added that if there were to be any new developments, the ministry would provide further updates.
The move has been cited by analysts as another example of the Trump administration’s “true lack of leadership.”
In relation to the USS Lincoln fiasco, US Senator Ruben Gallego said in an interview that Trump sees the US military as mere “toys and as ways to basically show off or show his strength.”
“Look at how this leadership is treating them, and that again is… a true lack of leadership from the secretary of defense as well as the president,” Gallego noted.
The Lincoln left the US in November 2025 for what was supposed to be a standard deployment. Nine months later, those sailors are still at sea. The carrier was initially rerouted in January for a military operation against Venezuela, and was subsequently deployed to West Asia as part of the war of aggression against Iran for an unprecedented, extended period. Since then, the deteriorating conditions aboard the carrier, including moldy facilities, rationed meals, and a severe mental health crisis with multiple reported suicide attempts among the crew, have been highlighted by US lawmakers.
Trump’s move is also cited as an example of the president seeming to turn away from a traditional ally in favor of a longtime adversary, in this case turning against Seoul in favor of Pyongyang. Despite the unpredictability associated with Trump’s moves, Kim has repeatedly warned that a war against the US-led Western allies could “break out at any time.”
In preparation for the anticipated war, Pyongyang is pursuing its advanced space, nuclear and missile programs to strengthen its military arsenal as a deterrent against the adversary US forces.
The annual UFS joint military drills are scheduled to run until August 27. The exercise features combined and all-domain operations to boost the allies’ readiness and capabilities by incorporating realistic threats reflecting the rapidly changing modern warfare enhanced by advanced military technology, particularly artificial intelligence.
