US and South Korea to scale down Foal Eagle war games, after Donald Trump questions whether ‘very expensive’ exercises are needed
- The exercises usually involve thousands of US and South Korean ground, air, naval and special operations troops every spring
The United States and South Korea are expected to announce that they will not carry out large-scale spring joint military exercises, replacing them with smaller-scale drills, US officials said on Friday.
US officials have long said the spring exercises, known as Foal Eagle and Key Resolve, would be reduced in scope.
However, one of the officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said a formal announcement was expected in the coming days.
The official said the decision had been made for some time and was not an outcome of the latest summit between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.
I was telling the generals, I said: Look, you know, exercising is fun and it’s nice and they play the war games. And I’m not saying it’s not necessary, because at some levels it is, but at other levels it’s not
The Foal Eagle field exercise, which usually involves thousands of combined ground, air, naval and special operations troops, takes place every spring. Key Resolve is a computer-simulated exercise.