By Song Sang-ho
WASHINGTON, Aug. 19 (Yonhap) -- Two senators have sent a letter to U.S. President Donald Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth calling on them to reverse their decision to scale back the ongoing South Korea-U.S. military exercise, warning that the cuts could degrade the allies' readiness and send a "wrong" signal to North Korea.
Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ) and Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) sent a letter Tuesday, as Seoul and Washington announced that the Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise will be cut short by a week, with associated live-training events having also been reduced.
The announcement came after Trump said in a social media post Sunday that he had instructed Hegseth to "substantially" reduce joint exercises with South Korea, noting the drills are not only "costly" but also send a "totally inappropriate and hostile" signal to the North.
"We write to express our serious concern regarding the decision to substantially reduce joint military exercises between the United States and the Republic of Korea (ROK) and urge the Administration to maintain the training necessary to preserve the readiness of the U.S.-ROK alliance," they said in the letter.
ROK is South Korea's official name.
The senators pointed out that the two Koreas remain technically at war, and Pyongyang continues to develop its nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles, highlighting the need to maintain the exercise.
"At the same time, North Korean troops have gained combat experience supporting Russia's war against Ukraine and can bring those lessons back to the Korean Peninsula, all of which could make North Korea more dangerous to U.S. forces and allies," they said.
"At the same time, North Korea's deepening ties with Russia and China are reinforcing anti-U.S. alignment. This is not the time to reduce the readiness of U.S. and allied forces in the region," they added, stressing that joint exercises provide "critical" opportunities to sharpen allies' military capabilities.
The senators were the latest in a growing list of U.S. lawmakers decrying the reduction of the drills.
In a statement Tuesday, Rep. Ami Bera (D-CA) criticized the decision to scale back UFS.
"At a time when confidence in America's security commitments is already being tested, weakening our deterrence posture to accommodate a communist dictator is a betrayal of a democratic ally and further undermines America's credibility across the Indo-Pacific," he said.
"Our allies need to know that America's word means something. Decisions that affect military readiness and the security of the Korean Peninsula must be made in close coordination with Seoul and based on our national security interests, not President Trump's personal relationships."
sshluck@yna.co.kr
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