(Adnkronos) – The United States has canceled a major joint amphibious landing exercise with South Korea, scheduled for next month, due to reduced force availability related to the war with Iran. Seoul announced this, specifying that the two countries are still considering the possibility of rescheduling the ‘Ssangyong’ exercise. This is a biennial exercise involving South Korean and US Marines, aimed at strengthening the ability to conduct joint operations. The maneuvers normally involve the use of warships, aircraft, and ground forces engaged in amphibious landing simulations.
“The US Marine Corps officially informed us in June that its ability to deploy forces for this year’s Ssangyong exercise would be limited due to the situation in the Middle East,” said South Korean Marine Corps spokesman Han Seung-jeon during a press briefing.
The cancellation comes just days after US President Donald Trump’s decision to reduce the duration of the annual ‘Ulchi Freedom Shield’ exercises between the United States and South Korea from 11 to five days. Trump justified the choice by the high costs of the maneuvers, also calling them an “inappropriate and hostile” signal towards North Korea. The decision is part of Trump’s attempt to reopen dialogue with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, with whom the American president had three meetings during his first term. “It’s important to get along” with Kim, Trump said last week, stressing that Pyongyang has 57 “very powerful” nuclear weapons. According to Seoul’s estimates, however, the North Korean arsenal would contain between 80 and 120 nuclear warheads.
