South Korea revealed that the U.S. has canceled its joint military exercise scheduled for September due to personnel limitations following the war with Iran.
On Monday, 24 Aug 2026 GMT+7, South Korean authorities disclosed that the U.S. decided to cancel the large-scale amphibious landing exercise planned between the two countries next month, citing personnel constraints resulting from the war in Iran.
The exercise, called “Ssangyong” (Ssangyong), is held biennially as a joint training between South Korean and U.S. Marines to enhance their operational capabilities. It typically involves warships, aircraft, and ground forces in amphibious landing drills.
This cancellation comes after U.S. President Donald Trump last week ordered a reduction in the size of the annual “Ulchi Freedom Shield” military exercise held the same week, cutting the joint exercise duration from 11 days down to only 5 days.
At that time, Trump cited high costs and said the exercise sent a “wrong and unfriendly” signal to North Korea, emphasizing that he and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un still maintain a very good relationship. Trump later revealed plans to meet the Pyongyang leader later this year.
“The U.S. Marine Corps officially informed our military in June that the ability to deploy personnel for this year’s Ssangyong exercise would be limited due to the situation in the Middle East,” said Han Seung-chun, spokesperson for the South Korean Marine Corps, during a press briefing.
He added that the Seoul and Washington governments are continuing discussions on restoring the amphibious exercises but did not provide further details.
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Source:cna