US Marine Corps Cancels Ssangyong Exercise With South Korea

The United States Marine Corps has canceled the Ssangyong amphibious landing exercise originally scheduled for September in South Korea. A spokesperson for the Republic of Korea Marine Corps confirmed that the U.S. notified them that force deployments are constrained because of the ongoing conflict with Iran in the Middle East.

This decision follows the redeployment of significant U.S. assets from the Asia-Pacific region to the Middle East, including the USS George Washington aircraft carrier. The cancellation occurs shortly after another joint military exercise ended early on August 21. President Donald Trump ordered that scale-back to maintain relations with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and cited allegations that Seoul refused to assist Washington in the Middle East conflict.

South Korean officials stated that the Ssangyong exercise is not scrapped indefinitely. Both nations are currently consulting on the future resumption of the joint maneuvers.