The U.S. military will no longer conduct large-scale drills with South Korea, NBC News and The Wall Street Journal reported Friday, each citing two unnamed defense officials.
Instead of major annual exercises, the officials said, U.S. and South Korean forces will cooperate on smaller, less costly training projects. "The U.S. has identified ways to mitigate potential readiness concerns by looking at required mission tasks versus having to conduct large-scale exercises," one official told NBC.
The large-scale exercises were suspended last year after President Trump promised to stop the "provocative" war games during his first summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Singapore. Another set of drills was canceled in October to further diplomatic progress with Pyongyang.