U.S. cancels Twin Dragons amphibious exercise with South Korea

Cancellation follows Trump-ordered halt to Ulchi Freedom Shield drills

SEOUL — The U.S. has scrapped a large-scale amphibious exercise with South Korea that was scheduled for next month, the latest American military pullback from Asia in the wake of the war in Iran.

The Twin Dragons exercises have historically featured thousands of American and South Korean forces carrying out beachfront landings at a South Korean coastal city. The drill, involving Marines from both countries, has long served to reassure allies of Washington’s commitment to the region.

On Monday, Seoul’s military said the Twin Dragons drills would be canceled. U.S. Forces Korea had informed South Korea in June that the exercise would not proceed, citing demands from the Middle East, according to Seoul’s announcement. U.S. Forces Korea did not comment when contacted.

The cancellation follows an order from President Trump to halt this summer’s Ulchi Freedom Shield exercises early. Those drills, originally set to run for 11 days, ended six days early on Friday. Trump had characterized the combined exercises as costly, inappropriate and hostile to North Korea, and said the North had behaved in an “unthreatening and respectful” manner during his second term.

North Korea rejected the overture. The country said Trump’s move would not create any goodwill between the two nations.

The Twin Dragons cancellation fits into a broader pattern of U.S. military repositioning in Asia. More than 2,000 U.S. Marines stationed in Japan were transferred to the Middle East in March. South Korea’s president publicly opposed the withdrawal of U.S. air defense assets from his country this spring. A Pacific-based American aircraft carrier, the USS George Washington, recently replaced in the Middle East the USS Abraham Lincoln, which had been deployed for more than 250 days.

Members of Congress from both parties have warned that scaling back the Ulchi Freedom Shield exercises risked undermining the alliance with South Korea, calling for the drills to be restored.

The Twin Dragons drills were previously paused starting in 2018, when Trump made similar calls to scale back U.S.-South Korea exercises during his first term. They resumed in 2023. The following year, the joint drills featured more than 13,000 personnel, over 20 naval vessels, 30 aircraft and 40 amphibious-assault vehicles. The exercises also included land-based operations designed “to rehearse eliminating enemy forces,” according to the U.S. Navy.