An Apache helicopter stands by at Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, on Tuesday, as the combined US-South Korea exercise Ulchi Freedom Shield is underway. [Yonhap]
An Apache helicopter stands by at Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, on Tuesday, as the combined US-South Korea exercise Ulchi Freedom Shield is underway. [Yonhap]

The US-South Korea combined military exercise has been cut in half for the first time in history, following US President Donald Trump's sudden order to scale back the drills.

Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back said Wednesday that the second phase of Ulchi Freedom Shield — which trains for counteroffensive operations — appears headed for cancellation.

Ahn made the remarks to reporters at the Defense Ministry building Wednesday. It is unprecedented for an ongoing theater-level combined exercise to be cut short and reduced at the request of the US side.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff announced that South Korea and the United States had agreed, at Washington's suggestion, to adjust the duration and scale of the UFS exercise, shortening the training period to Aug. 17 through Aug. 21. UFS is a regular combined exercise designed to prepare for the defense of the Korean Peninsula in the event of a contingency; it had originally been scheduled to run from Aug. 17 through Aug. 27.

UFS consists of a command post exercise, or CPX, based on computer simulation, and associated field training exercises, or FTX. The CPX is divided into a first phase focused on defense and a second phase focused on counteroffensive operations. South Korea and the United States are understood to have agreed to conduct only the first phase, scheduled through Aug. 21, and to cancel the second phase, which had been planned for Aug. 24 through Aug. 27. As Ahn indicated, the exercise period has in effect been halved.

However, Ahn drew a line on the question of how many UFS-linked combined FTX exercises would be reduced. Asked by a reporter whether more than 10 FTX exercises linked to UFS could be canceled, he said, "No. They haven't been canceled — they will be held throughout the year after UFS ends," indicating that all roughly 160 FTX exercises planned for this year would go ahead as scheduled.

Fourteen combined FTX exercises at the battalion level or above had been planned during this UFS period. South Korea and the United States are discussing options to reduce the number of joint exercises or postpone them, with most of the planned FTX exercises to be conducted separately by each side or by South Korean forces alone.

The South Korean government is leaning toward postponing — rather than outright canceling — the combined FTX exercises that had been planned for distribution throughout the year.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff said the two sides are "currently in consultations on the specifics," adding that South Korea and the United States "have decided to discuss and then implement various measures to achieve the UFS exercise objectives and establish a combined defense posture."


rimsclub@heraldcorp.com