US and South Korean marines take positions during the Key Resolve and Foal Eagle military exercises in Pohang on this 2016 file photo. Photo: AP
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https://scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/2188332/us-and-south-korea-scale-down-foal-eagle-war-games-after-donald East Asia
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
South Korean Marines fire smoke shells in the southeastern port of Pohang on March 30, 2015, during the annual Foal Eagle war games. Photo: AFP
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.
The news was first reported by NBC News.
The United States and South Korea have suspended a number of military exercises since the first summit last year between Kim and Trump to encourage talks with North Korea.
The leaders met this week in Hanoi for their second summit but the talks collapsed on Thursday without any agreement or immediate plan for a third meeting between them or their delegations.
A US army's OH-58D Kiowa Warrior helicopter takes part in the 2014 Foal Eagle exercises in South Korea. Photo: Reuters
Speaking with reporters after the summit, Trump said military exercises were “very, very expensive”.
“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,’” Trump said.
The Pentagon has said that another exercise that was suspended last year, known as Freedom Guardian, would have cost around US$14 million.
The US military has an annual budget of more than US$700 billion.