The Pentagon building [EPA]
The Pentagon building [EPA]

The Pentagon said Monday it is "actively working to implement the commander in chief's orders" regarding Donald Trump's directive to significantly scale back joint US-South Korea military exercises.

A Defense Department official delivered the statement — titled "Updated Position on Ulchi Freedom Shield and US-ROK Exercises" — in response to a query from Yonhap.

The announcement signals that the Pentagon has begun taking steps to act on the directive Trump issued Monday through his Truth Social account, in which he said he had ordered a major reduction in joint exercises with South Korea.

However, the official offered no specifics on how the commander in chief's orders would be carried out.

With the Pentagon now saying it is moving to implement the directive, US military officials may have begun discussions with their South Korean counterparts on adjusting the schedule or scope of Ulchi Freedom Shield, the joint exercise that began Monday.

The reversal was striking: just hours earlier, the Pentagon had said it had "no changes to announce" and directed reporters to contact the White House with questions on the matter.

The initial response had been interpreted as the Defense Department trying to avoid commenting separately on a directive Trump had announced himself — but the department reversed course within hours.

It is unusual for a US government agency to issue an official position on a specific matter and then revise it so quickly.

The Pentagon's initial referral to the White House may have raised concerns internally that it was fueling allegations of insufficient prior coordination and signaling disarray within the administration, prompting the updated statement.

The major scaling-back order may have been issued with little to no prior consultation with the Pentagon. The New York Times, citing a senior US military official, reported that Trump's sudden announcement caught the Defense Department off guard.

The episode suggests the drastic reduction in joint exercises may have been an impulsive, unilateral decision by Trump rather than a policy developed through interagency deliberation as part of a broader North Korea strategy.

In his Monday Truth Social post announcing the directive to the defense secretary, Trump also expressed frustration with South Korea, suggesting the country had not cooperated with US efforts related to the war with Iran.


mokiya@heraldcorp.com