The US military has canceled amphibious landing exercises involving South Korea due to a personnel shortage linked to the deployment of American troops in the Middle East.
A representative of South Korea’s Marine Corps said Monday that the Ssangyong exercises scheduled for September will not take place as planned. They are held approximately every two years and are intended to train joint operations between the armed forces of the two countries.
The cancellation comes as US military exercises planned in the Asia-Pacific region are being significantly reduced due to the US war with Iran.
The decision shows that the deployment of US troops in the Middle East is already affecting military plans scheduled for other regions as well.
The decision shows that US military involvement in the Middle East is not limited to that region alone. When a personnel shortage becomes a reason to cancel a regularly held exercise with South Korea, it is already affecting Washington’s other military plans as well.
At the same time, the article does not say when the exercise could be held at a later date or whether it will be completely reconsidered. At this point, only the cancellation of the exercise scheduled for September has been confirmed, which allows for discussion of cuts to regional military programs, but not of their complete alteration going forward.
