SEOUL, Aug. 22 (Xinhua) -- A major U.S.-South Korea military exercise ended earlier than planned Friday after U.S. President Donald Trump unexpectedly ordered a substantial reduction in its scale, raising fresh questions over the stability of the U.S.-South Korea alliance, Seoul's plans to assume wartime operational control and the reliability of U.S. security commitments to its allies worldwide.
The Ulchi Freedom Shield (UFS) military exercise, originally scheduled to run through next Thursday, was cut to five days from 11, with both the duration and scope of training significantly reduced.
The move came after Trump called on Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to scale back the drills in a social media post just hours before the exercise was due to begin. South Korean officials said they had not been informed of the decision in advance.
A SURPRISE THAT SHOOK SEOUL
The abrupt change was unusual because large-scale U.S.-South Korea exercises are normally coordinated months in advance between the two militaries, according to South Korean media. The two countries also scaled back drills in 2019 amid efforts to promote dialogue with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), but that decision was jointly coordinated beforehand.
This time, South Korean officials said they were caught off guard. Foreign Minister Cho Hyun and Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back said Wednesday that they had not been informed beforehand.
The move also came amid broader friction between Washington and Seoul. Trump has repeatedly complained that the United States does too much for South Korea while receiving too little in return, and recently criticized Seoul for refusing to join U.S. efforts related to Iran's "denuclearization."
NEW UNCERTAINTY RAISED OVER COMMAND TRANSFER
According to local media analysis, the shortened exercise is also significant because South Korea has regarded combined drills as an important mechanism for assessing its readiness to assume wartime operational control of its forces.
Seoul has potentially aimed to complete the transfer in 2027. Commander of the U.S. Forces Korea Xavier Brunson, however, has stressed that any transfer must be based on military readiness.
South Korean officials have insisted that the latest reduction will not delay the process. Ahn said the two issues were unrelated, while Cho said the exercise cut should not be used as a reason to postpone the transfer. President Lee Jae Myung has also reaffirmed his intention to pursue the transfer during his term.
Wang Son-Taek, adjunct professor at Sogang University, noted in an interview with Xinhua that the first phase of UFS, which focused primarily on defense operations, had already been conducted. The part that was mainly reduced was the second phase, involving counteroffensive operations after the defense phase.
Still, South Korean defense and geopolitical expert Do Jin-ho warned that reducing combined drills could delay the command-transfer process and affect the frequency of future U.S. strategic asset deployments to the peninsula.
Yoo Ji-hoon, a research fellow at the Korea Institute for Defense Analysis, said the reduction may not put the command-transfer process on hold, but could expose broader coordination challenges within the alliance.
ALLIANCE TRUST UNDER PRESSURE
South Korean analysts have warned that repeated unilateral adjustments by Washington could weaken mutual trust and make the joint defense system less predictable.
Wang said that the episode could deepen unease among South Koreans over whether Washington would reliably uphold its security commitments, potentially putting additional pressure on the South Korean government.
At the same time, Wang cautioned against drawing the conclusion that Seoul should simply reduce its reliance on Washington.
Analysts said the Trump administration has used U.S. security commitments as leverage in dealing with allies. It has pressed Seoul over defense cost-sharing of U.S. troops stationed in South Korea, and pressured NATO allies over military spending. The latest move has renewed concerns about the reliability of the U.S. security umbrella.
Wang said the episode could contribute to a perception in Northeast Asia that trust within alliances was weakening and could reduce public confidence in the United States in South Korea. In the longer term, he said, such a trend could even become self-defeating for Washington's efforts to maintain its dominant position. ■