Mattis says 'no decision' on future South Korea drills
US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis insisted on 29 August that ‘no decisions’ had been made about suspending additional military exercises with South Korea, one day after he suggested the moratorium on large drills had ended.
In June 2018, after US President Donald Trump held a historic summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Singapore, the US said it would suspend ‘select’ exercises with South Korea, including the large-scale Ulchi Freedom Guardian exercises slated for August.
Mattis said in a statement: ‘The Department of Defense suspended three individual military exercises in order to provide space for our diplomats to negotiate the verifiable, irreversible and complete denuclearization of the Korean peninsula.
‘Our military posture has not changed since the conclusion of the Singapore summit and no decisions have been made about suspending any future exercises.’
At a press conference on 28 August, Mattis said the Pentagon was not currently planning on halting future drills.
Mattis told Pentagon reporters: ‘We took the step to suspend several of the largest exercises as a good-faith measure coming out of the Singapore summit. We have no plans at this time to suspend any more exercises.’
In his statement on 29 August, Mattis added that US and South Korean forces ‘maintain a high state of military readiness and vigilance in full support of a diplomatically-led effort to bring peace, prosperity and stability to the Korean peninsula.’
More from Defence Notes
-
![Spain unveils new multi-billion euro defence investment plan]()
Spain unveils new multi-billion euro defence investment plan
The new plan outlined how Spain would reach 2% of its GDP spend on defence by 2025, with €1.9 billion earmarked for new equipment acquisition with several land, naval and air platforms disclosed to be replaced or upgraded.
-
![New Zealand boosts defence spend to US$6.6 billion and vows increased closeness with Australia]()
New Zealand boosts defence spend to US$6.6 billion and vows increased closeness with Australia
This budget will be spent over the next four years and nearly doubles the country’s defence spending as part of GDP to 2%.
-
![UK Chancellor commits £2 billion to make the country a “defence industrial superpower”]()
UK Chancellor commits £2 billion to make the country a “defence industrial superpower”
Rachel Reeves announced port upgrades, protected budgets for innovation and investment in novel technologies.
-
![Avalon 2025: Australian defence budget meets the low expectations of show attendees]()
Avalon 2025: Australian defence budget meets the low expectations of show attendees
The Australian Budget was marked by tax cuts and a looming general election which led to little hope that there would be a substantial defence boost even with a big bill for nuclear submarines due.
-
![Launch of Gilat Defense targets DoD market]()
Launch of Gilat Defense targets DoD market
The communications company Gilat launched its new Gilat Defense division at the Satellite 2025 expo, with future solutions aimed at US military customers.
