U.S. Cancels the Ssangyong Landing Drill With South Korea, Saying the Iran War Has Tied Up Its Forces

South Korea's Marine Corps said on Aug. 24 that the United States had canceled Ssangyong, the division-level joint amphibious landing exercise scheduled for September. A South Korean Marine Corps spokesperson told a briefing that the U.S. Marine Corps formally notified its counterpart in June that force availability would be constrained because of the war in Iran. The spokesperson said the allies remain in consultations about resuming the drill but did not describe how the lost training would be made up.

It is the second joint exercise with South Korea canceled or cut back this term. It follows Trump's order to scale back Ulchi Freedom Shield, which ended Aug. 21, over its cost and Seoul's refusal to join the Iran war; Trump wrote that the drills sent "a signal that was totally inappropriate and hostile." North Korea fired 10 short-range ballistic missiles last week despite the reduction.

U.S. Forces Korea did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The State Department said Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke with Foreign Minister Cho Hyun the same day about alliance coordination.