Bloomberg
Alliance Tested as Trump Pulls Out of South Korea Drill
Sunday, August 23, 2026
President Donald Trump ordered the reduction of the US-South Korea joint military exercises, leading to a curtailment of the annual drills. The exercises were scaled back as North Korea continues expanding its nuclear and missile capabilities and strengthens military cooperation with Russia. The US has also shifted an aircraft carrier and other military assets from the Indo-Pacific region toward the Middle East.
