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// DOSSIER — us-cancels-ssangyong-marine-exercises-south-korea-iran
US Cancels Ssangyong Marine Exercises with South Korea Amid Iran War Force Constraints
REL_TIME: 25 Aug 2026 11:42Z · LANG: EN
The United States has canceled the Ssangyong joint amphibious landing exercise with South Korea scheduled for September 2026, citing constraints on U.S. force availability due to the ongoing war in Iran. The decision, communicated by the U.S. Marine Corps in June, follows a separate surprise directive by President Donald Trump to scale back the annual Ulchi Freedom Shield drills from 11 days to five. Trump cited high costs, his diplomatic relationship with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, and South Korea's refusal to participate in the Iran war as reasons for the reduction. Despite the scaled-back drills, North Korea denounced the exercises and launched 10 short-range ballistic missiles, while regional allies expressed growing concern over the stretching of U.S. military commitments across multiple theaters.
// Background
The Ssangyong exercise is a biennial division-level amphibious landing drill designed to strengthen combined operations between U.S. and South Korean marine forces. The cancellation of Ssangyong and the reduction of the Ulchi Freedom Shield drills occur against the backdrop of an active U.S. war in Iran, which has resulted in 774 U.S. military casualties (18 killed and 756 wounded) and severely strained U.S. force availability globally. Concurrently, President Trump has sought to revive diplomatic engagement with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, whom he met three times during his first term before denuclearization talks collapsed in Hanoi in 2019.
// Key Developments
- The U.S. Marine Corps canceled the biennial Ssangyong amphibious landing exercise scheduled for September 2026 due to force constraints from the Iran war.
- The cancellation follows President Trump's surprise order to shorten the Ulchi Freedom Shield drills from 11 days to five, ending on August 21, 2026.
- Trump justified the cuts by citing high costs, South Korea's refusal to join the war in Iran, and a desire to maintain positive relations with Kim Jong Un.
- North Korea rejected the scaled-down drills as still being provocative and aggressive and launched 10 short-range ballistic missiles on August 20, 2026.
- U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun held talks to emphasize close coordination amid alliance strains.
- The dual decisions have raised concerns among Indo-Pacific allies like Japan and Taiwan regarding the reliability of U.S. security commitments.
// Timeline
-
The U.S. Marine Corps formally notifies South Korea that force availability for the Ssangyong exercise will be constrained due to the Middle East conflict.
-
President Trump issues a surprise directive to the Pentagon to significantly reduce the scope of the Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise.
-
The scaled-down Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise begins, shortened from 11 days to five.
-
Trump tells reporters he expects to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un again later in 2026.
-
North Korea launches 10 short-range ballistic missiles off its eastern coast during the ongoing joint drills.
-
The shortened Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise officially concludes.
-
South Korea's Marine Corps publicly announces the cancellation of the September Ssangyong amphibious landing exercise.
// Perspectives
[U.S. President Donald Trump]
Advocates for scaling back joint military exercises with South Korea, viewing them as excessively costly, insulting to North Korea, and transactional given South Korea's refusal to assist in the Iran war.
[South Korean Marine Corps]
Maintains that the alliance remains intact and is actively consulting with the U.S. to resume Ssangyong drills while continuing other multinational exercises.
[North Korean Leadership]
Condemns all joint U.S.-South Korean military exercises as rehearsals for invasion, regardless of whether their scale or duration is reduced.
[Indo-Pacific Allies (Japan, Taiwan)]
Concerned that U.S. military commitments are being overstretched by the Middle East conflict, potentially weakening the U.S. defense posture in East Asia.
// Quotes
“The US Marine Corps formally notified our forces in June that its ability to deploy forces during this year’s Ssangyong exercise would be constrained due to the situation in the Middle East”
“a signal that was totally inappropriate and hostile, to a Country that, as long as Donald J. Trump has been President, has been unthreatening and respectful”
“Reducing the scale or duration of the drills does not change the provocative and aggressive nature of the military exercises.”
