Trump Shrinks U.S.-South Korea Drills | Wilmington News

Wilmington News Today | 2 Min News | The Daily News Now! · Aug 19, 2026 · 1m

Trump’s surprise order to slash U.S.-South Korea military drills has rattled defense experts and angered North Korea, who called the move “extremely dangerous.” While framed as a gesture of goodwill toward Kim Jong Un, insiders suspect it’s really about pressuring Seoul to back U.S. Iran policy — possibly tying drill funding to support for freedom-of-navigation operations in the Strait of Hormuz. With key exercises ending early and field training scaled back, analysts warn this could erode readiness and weaken the decades-old alliance — especially as new commanders may never fully grasp the…