The U.S. and South Korea on Sunday announced that large joint military exercises won’t continue as part of ongoing efforts towards denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.
In a statement, the Pentagon said that acting Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan and his South Korean counterpart, Minister of National Defense Jeong Kyeong-doo, “decided to conclude” the Key Resolve and Foal Eagle exercises and will instead stage smaller drills.
“The Minister and Secretary made clear that the Alliance decision to adapt our training program reflected our desire to reduce tension and support our diplomatic efforts to achieve complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula in a final, fully verified manner,” the Pentagon said.
The two nations will “maintain firm military readiness through newly designed Command Post exercises and revised field training programs,” the Pentagon added.
According to The Associated Press, the new training, which starts Monday, will last just more than a week.
South Korea’s military and the U.S.-South Korean combined forces command said in a joint statement that the drills will focus on “strategic operational and tactical aspects of general military operations on the Korean Peninsula,” according to the news service.
The AP also quoted U.S. officials who said the drills will involve battalions and companies instead of larger formations.
Previously, President Donald Trump has said the massive annual military drills were “very, very expensive” and called on South Korea to pitch in more.
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