Kelly, Tillis Press Trump Administration to Reverse Cuts to Joint Military Exercises with South Korea

Bipartisan senators warn that scaling back exercises will degrade military readiness at a time when North Korea is deepening ties with Russia and China

Today, U.S. Senators Mark Kelly (D-AZ) and Thom Tillis (R-NC) pressed the Trump administration to reverse its decision to substantially reduce joint military exercises between the United States and South Korea and urged the administration to maintain the training necessary to preserve the readiness of the alliance.

"For more than 70 years, the alliance between the United States and South Korea has been a cornerstone of peace and security on the Korean Peninsula and throughout the Indo-Pacific," the senators wrote in a letter to President Trump and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth. "South Korea is a capable military ally, and the ability of our forces to operate together is not guaranteed. It is built and sustained through rigorous, realistic, and recurring joint training."

The senators noted that North Korea and South Korea remain technically at war, and that North Korea continues to advance its nuclear and military capabilities while gaining combat experience through its support for Russia's war against Ukraine. They warned that North Korea's deepening ties with Russia and China make this the wrong moment to scale back joint readiness.

"This is not the time to reduce the readiness of U.S. and allied forces in the region," the senators continued. "Joint exercises such as Ulchi Freedom Shield provide U.S. and ROK forces critical opportunities to practice command and control, combined operations, logistics, and responses to evolving threats. Reducing these exercises risks degrading interoperability and readiness while sending the wrong signal to North Korea and our adversaries."

Kelly and Tillis also raised concerns that the reductions appear tied to South Korea's decision not to support U.S. military action in Iran: "Our allies should not be punished for declining to support unilateral U.S. military actions in the Middle East, particularly when such shortsighted measures undermine American military readiness."

"The United States should continue to stand firmly alongside our South Korean allies and ensure our servicemembers have the training they need to fight and win should deterrence fail," the senators concluded.

Click here to read the full text of the letter.