The South Korean and U.S. militaries decided to end the Ulchi Freedom Shield (UFS) exercise six days earlier than originally planned. It comes two days after President Trump publicly ordered a reduction in combined drills.
The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said on the 19th, "At the U.S. side's suggestion, we decided to adjust part of the exercise period and scale," adding, "We will implement this UFS exercise from the 17th to the 21st." The originally scheduled exercise period was from the 17th to the 27th.
UFS is a command post exercise that uses computer simulations to practice defense and counterattack operations in stages. Only the first half focused on defense operations will run through the 21st, effectively leaving out the latter half that covers counterattack operations.
Combined field training will also be reduced. During this UFS period, 14 combined field training drills at the battalion level or higher had been planned, but the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said they will proceed with some reductions. It was reported that only Korea-led drills will be conducted without U.S. participation.
The Combined Forces Command's command post has also been dualized between CP Tango in Seongnam, Gyeonggi, and Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek. CP Tango is an underground bunker to command combined operations in contingencies, and Camp Humphreys is the Combined Forces Command's peacetime command facility.
There is also an assessment that the preparations for the transition of wartime operational control (OPCON) have encountered a new variable. The South and the U.S. had originally planned to conduct part of a joint assessment related to whether the conditions for the OPCON transition have been met during this UFS. As the exercise period and scope are reduced, opportunities to check the South Korean military's ability to lead combined operations may also be limited.
This adjustment began when President Trump on the 16th told Pete Hegseth, the U.S. Department of Defense (War Department) Minister, to sharply cut the scale of the drills. It is unusual for both the period and the scale of an ongoing combined exercise to change at the same time.
An official at the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said, "Going forward, South Korea and the United States will discuss and then implement various measures to achieve the goals of the UFS exercise and establish a combined defense posture."