Donald Trump’s decision to scale back joint military exercises with South Korea has deepened concerns about US reliability among Indo-Pacific allies who were already nervous about his rhetoric on Taiwan.
On Sunday, hours before US and South Korean forces were to start their annual Ulchi Freedom Shield exercises, Trump declared on Truth Social the drills would send a “hostile” message to Pyongyang, echoing North Korea’s criticism that it was a “rehearsal for a war of aggression”.
The abrupt decision came on the heels of the USS George Washington aircraft carrier strike group setting sail from the Pacific for the Middle East, in a move that will leave the region without a US carrier as China continues to take a more aggressive stance in the region.
Michael Green, head of the United States Studies Centre in Sydney, said one US ally likened working with the Trump administration to “going into space with Sigourney Weaver” in the movie Alien.
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“The latest monster to spring from the ceiling was the president’s threat to cancel US military exercises with South Korea,” said Green, who served as the top White House Asia adviser to George W Bush.
The recent developments, which come five weeks before Chinese president Xi Jinping is expected to visit Washington, have undermined US efforts to reassure allies by telling them to focus on Trump’s actions, not his rhetoric.
Elbridge Colby, the top Pentagon policy official, told an audience in Manila last week that the US would “not engage in peacocking” but would “speak softly” while carrying “the world’s biggest stick” – a paraphrase of Theodore Roosevelt’s remark in 1901 before he became president.
But Trump’s decree to reduce military drills that most experts say help deter Pyongyang and send a message to China has sparked new anxiety about Washington’s commitment to the region, according to officials who spoke privately to avoid antagonising the US president.
Asian allies were already concerned about the impact of Trump’s Iran war, which has severely depleted US weapon stockpiles and significantly delayed arms deliveries, including Tomahawk missiles for Japan.
[ Donald Trump’s approval falls to 33%, the lowest of his presidency, poll findsOpens in new window ]
Tokyo was also alarmed last year when Trump did not defend prime minister Sanae Takaichi after Beijing attacked her for saying Japan would become involved in a war over Taiwan if China invaded the country.
“Trump administration officials have trumpeted the ‘quiet, relentless strengthening of deterrence’ in Asia. But they are sending critical munitions and naval assets from Asia to the Middle East, while cancelling military exercises with Asian allies,” said Zack Cooper, an Asia security expert at the American Enterprise Institute.
“The administration is walking more softly in Asia, but they seem to have forgotten to bring along their big stick,” added Cooper, who has also heard concern from Asian officials about the impact of the reduced exercises.
The developments undermine what several people said had been robust efforts by Pacific Command, which oversees US military operations in Asia, to continue strong co-operation with allies under president Trump.
The Pentagon has, for example, stepped up military co-operation with the Philippines, including inviting a record number of allies this year to participate in the largest-ever annual joint military exercise.
The US, Japan and South Korea expanded their annual trilateral exercise known as “Freedom Edge” last year. But the order to cut exercises with Seoul has reminded allies they cannot be complacent about US support.
Green said while trust in the US was at the lowest on record in two critical countries, Japan and Australia, “support for the alliance with the US remains about the highest ever among frontline US allies in Asia”.
Green attributed that to the “unprecedented China threat” as well as confidence in US public, congressional and military support for alliances.
The Pentagon declined to comment on the concerns from allies but said it was “actively working on executing” Trump’s order to reduce the exercises.
The nervousness comes as Trump prepares to welcome Xi to Washington next month. Allies are anxious about Trump’s Taiwan policy after he said in Beijing in May that US arms sales to Taiwan were a “good bargaining chip”.
While Trump has approved more weapons sales to Taipei than any US president, including a record $11.1 billion package in December, his delay in approving a planned $14 billion bundle has raised alarms in Taiwan.
Many defence experts oppose the reduction in joint exercises with Seoul, but Jennifer Kavanagh, a military analyst at Defense Priorities, a think-tank, said the US was too stretched globally and should urge allies to do more to defend themselves.
“The US shouldn’t fight a war with North Korea for South Korea,” Kavanagh said. “I would rather have the US pushing South Korea to do more to fight itself. I don’t see cancelling exercises as pulling the rug out from under them. It is a signal that they need to start moving more quickly to increase their own defence.”
Some experts said South Korea had itself to blame. Among Trump officials’ frustrations with Seoul were that it had not unveiled any projects in its pledge to invest $350 billion in the US, as agreed in the countries’ trade deal.
“South Korea is playing a dangerous game,” said Nick Snyder, an Asia expert at the Hudson Institute and former chief of staff to deputy secretary of state Christopher Landau.
“They can’t sit on the sidelines and not be helpful with Iran and then expect the president to pay for exercises that help defend their interests.”
The White House rejected claims Trump was undermining alliances, saying he had “successfully made America respected again”.
White House spokesperson Anna Kelly said: “The president ... is righting decades of wrongs of his predecessors by ensuring all of our diplomatic relationships are reciprocal.” – Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2026
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