U.S. will suspend military drills with South Korea, but they can be restarted quickly

Jim Michaels | USA TODAY

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President Trump’s pledge Tuesday to suspend joint U.S. military exercises with South Korea will be a welcome concession to North Korea, which has frequently complained that the drills are a preparation for war.

But halting the annual exercises would not represent a major sacrifice for the United States, which has suspended the military drills before in an effort to lessen tensions on the peninsula. They can be restarted quickly.

Most recently the Pentagon agreed to delay planned military exercises during the Olympics, which were held in South Korea, after the North agreed to participate. The exercises were held after the Winter Games ended.

The drills were also suspended between 1994 and 1996 in an attempt to improve conditions during diplomatic talks with North Korea. The diplomatic efforts ultimately failed and the exercises resumed.

Trump said he would halt the exercises during a news conference after his summit with Kim. He termed the exercises “provocative.”

"This would be a substantial concession to North Korea’s security concerns," said Alison Evans, an analyst at IHS Markit, a firm that tracks security issues.

The military exercises, which often involve ships, aircraft and thousands of troops have been conducted for decades on the Korean Peninsula.

The Pentagon has said they are critical to maintain the readiness of U.S. and South Korean forces, which could be called on to defend against an attack from North Korea, which has an active duty force of one million troops and thousands of artillery pieces and rocket launchers aimed at the South.

In a news conference after the summit Trump suggested suspending them would be a cost-saving measure.

"We will be stopping the war games, which will save us a tremendous amount of money, unless and until we see the future negotiation is not going along like it should," Trump said.

It's not clear how South Korea and other U.S. allies in the region will react to the suspension of exercises. South Korean President Moon Jae-in has been pushing the United States and North Korea to reconcile their differences and may be sympathetic to the overture.

But many South Korean officials and other regional leaders may see the move as a lessening of military commitment to the region. The United States has more than 30,000 troops based in South Korea.

"South Koreans and the Japanese were taken aback by the president’s statement," said Victor Cha, an analyst at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

Trump may also have raised concerns when he said he would like the American troops in South Korea to "come home," but there were no plans to do so now.

"That’s not part of the equation right now," Trump said. "At some point, I hope it will be, but not right now."

The Pentagon in a statement said it "welcomes the positive news coming out of the summit and fully supports the ongoing, diplomatically-led efforts" with North Korea.

"Our alliances remain ironclad, and ensure peace and stability in the region," the statement said.