Top defense officials in Washington and Seoul plan to restart a new round of massive military drills on the peninsula, initially delayed due to the recent winter Olympic games, within the coming weeks in a move assured to draw a harsh response from North Korea.
Defense Secretary James Mattis, in consultation with Korean Minister of National Defense Song Young-moo, on Tuesday”agreed to resume the annual combined [military] exercises … which were deconflicted with the schedule of the Olympic Games,” according to a Defense Department statement. The exercises, dubbed Foal Eagle and Key Resolve, are scheduled to begin in April, the Pentagon said.
“The United Nations Command has notified the Korean People’s Army on the schedule as well as the defensive nature of the annual exercises,” according to a separate statement issued by U.S. Forces-Korea from the command’s headquarters at Yongsan Garrison in Seoul.
The anticipated U.S. and South Korean troop numbers, as well as the types of weapons and equipment used during the exercises — which are some of the largest bilateral military war games held in the region — will remain on par with previous iterations of the military drills, according to the Pentagon.
Questions over whether the Defense Department would pare down the size and scope of the exercises, in the wake of the White House’s seeming efforts to open a dialogue with North Korea, had reportedly surrounded the debate as to when the new round of exercises would begin.
The Trump administration is openly considering holding face-to-face talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. It remains unclear how the new round of military drills would affect those efforts.
Earlier this month, officials in Pyongyang warned any military drills set to take place after the games in Pyeongchang, South Korea “seriously threatened and hard-won atmosphere for reconciliation and cooperation between the north and the south were spoilt in a moment,” according to a statement issued on state-run media outlet Korean Central News Agency.
Despite recent diplomatic overtures toward Pyongyang, the White House continues to tout the fact that all options — including military action — remain on the table in an effort to curb Pyongyang’s nuclear ambitions.
• Carlo Muñoz can be reached at cmunoz@washingtontimes.com.
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