U.S. Bipartisan Senators Send Letter to Trump Urging Reversal of Scaling Back South Korea-U.S. Drills

U.S. senators from both the ruling and opposition parties have jointly urged U.S. President Donald Trump to reverse the scaling back of South Korea-U.S. joint military exercises.

According to the website of U.S. Republican Senator Thom Tillis on the 19th local time, Senator Tillis, along with Democratic Senator Mark Kelly, sent a letter to the U.S. Department of Defense criticizing the reduction of joint exercises between South Korea and the U.S.

Addressed to President Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, the two senators wrote in the letter, "We express our grave concerns regarding the decision to significantly scale back South Korea-U.S. exercises," and urged, "We urge you to continue the exercises necessary to maintain the readiness of the South Korea-U.S. alliance."

They pointed out that North Korea continues to develop its nuclear weapons, ballistic missiles, and conventional capabilities, and has gained combat experience by supporting Russia's invasion of Ukraine, noting that North Korea could become an even greater threat to the U.S. military and its allies.

They also emphasized that as the "anti-U.S. solidarity" among North Korea, China, and Russia deepens, this is not the time to weaken the readiness of the United States and its allies.

"Scaling back the exercises sends the wrong signal to North Korea and hostile nations," they added, noting, "We are also concerned that it could increase room for North Korea to support Russia."

They further pointed out that decisions regarding U.S. troop deployments and exercises should be based on the security and military necessities of the United States and its allies, rather than political retaliation.

This reflects the perception that the reduction of the South Korea-U.S. joint exercises was carried out as a retaliatory measure against the South Korean government.

While stating they support a credible diplomatic strategy with North Korea, they argued that diplomacy is backed, not weakened, by a capable and prepared South Korea-U.S. alliance. They requested the Department of Defense to submit a report on how the exercise reductions would impact South Korea-U.S. interoperability, readiness, deterrence on the Korean Peninsula, and the operational capabilities of U.S. Forces Korea.

The two senators had previously publicly voiced criticism of the reduction in South Korea-U.S. exercises immediately after the order to scale them back was issued.

Senator Tillis is a figure who does not hesitate to voice opposition to President Trump's policies after falling out of favor with him and having his bid for a third term blocked.

Senator Kelly, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, has a background of serving in the Navy, participating in the Gulf War, and working as a NASA astronaut.
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.