Korea summit: US war games off, but drills continue

The US military will continue to train with South Korean forces and conduct military drills — but not large-scale, joint exercises.

US Vice-President Mike Pence, accompanied by his wife Karen. Picture: AP

The White House says the US military will continue to train with South Korean forces and conduct military drills — but not large-scale, joint exercises — in a clarification of an offer by ­Donald Trump to Kim Jong-un.

The clarification, coming while the US President was returning to the US from his summit with the North Korean leader in Singapore, was issued yesterday by a White House official after Vice-President Mike Pence spent much of the day meeting Republican politicians who sought to understand what Mr Trump had promised.

Mr Trump said on Tuesday in Singapore that for the duration of talks on North Korean denuclearisation, he was stopping US “war games”, which he said were “tremendously ­expensive” and provocative to Pyongyang. The offer was not part of the joint statement between Mr Trump and Kim, and was criticised by congress members for giving away too much.

Mr Pence met in closed session with Republicans. Some said he told them that “regular readiness training and training ­exchanges” would continue, ­according to a Twitter message by senator Cory Gardner.

Across Washington at the Pentagon, defence officials scrambled to understand what Mr Trump’s offer meant for officers and troops left to implement the ­decision. The Pentagon was unable to give ­details about the future of the longstanding military relationship between the US and South Korea, which guard one of the most heavily protected borders in the world.

A White House official later clarified Mr Pence’s comments, saying: “The VP was asked about force readiness and said that while the semi-annual war games would cease — assuming parameters of the deal are met — regular readiness training would continue.

“It may seem like a small distinction but is fairly significant. That’s where the confusion arose.”

The US regularly operates with and trains with South Korean forces. The US and South Korea even maintain a combined military division, assigned to defend against a North Korean attack.

These large, combined exer­cises are essential to ensure the US can rapidly deploy to South Korea in the event of war, defence officials have said.

North Korea has argued these major exercises are provocative and should be cancelled.

One Pentagon official said the President’s announcement was unclear and that Mr Trump still needed to decide if small-unit joint training would be affected.

“Of course it will continue” on some level, another defence official said of joint operations.

US Defence Secretary Jim Mattis anticipated Mr Trump’s announcement, according to his spokeswoman, Dana White. “The secretary and the President have been fully aligned,” Ms White said. “They have spoken about all these issues in advance.”

Ms White declined to provide details on what Mr Trump’s ­decision meant for military exercises. Pentagon officials said further clarification would come from Mr Trump.

The Wall Street Journal