US scraps South Korea amphibious drill as Iran war strains forces
What's new: Seoul said the Marine exercise was dropped after Washington warned in June that Middle East demands would limit deployments.
The United States has canceled next month’s Ssangyong amphibious exercise with South Korea after telling Seoul that the war with Iran would limit US force availability. South Korea’s Marine Corps said Monday that the US Marine Corps formally notified it in June that it could not send enough forces for the large biennial drill, which normally includes warships, aircraft and ground troops rehearsing amphibious landings. The move follows President Donald Trump’s order last week to cut the separate Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise from 11 days to five, part of a broader effort to reduce military pressure as he tries to rebuild ties with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.