President Donald Trump has ordered the Pentagon to significantly reduce the scope of joint military exercises conducted with South Korea, according to multiple reports published Monday. The directive instructs the Defense Department to substantially curtail drills that have long served as a cornerstone of the U.S.-South Korea alliance and a signal of deterrence against North Korea.

The order comes amid ongoing North Korean missile testing activity, raising questions among defense analysts about the timing of reducing a visible element of the alliance's readiness posture. Joint exercises between U.S. and South Korean forces have historically been a point of contention with Pyongyang, which views them as rehearsals for invasion.

Trump has consistently characterized such exercises as costly and provocative, a position he maintained during his first term when he suspended several major drills following his 2018 summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. The Daily Wire noted Trump cited his self-described "very good relationship" with Kim as a factor in the current decision. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth is expected to oversee implementation of the order.

South Korean officials have not yet issued a formal public response to the announcement. The alliance between Washington and Seoul, formalized after the Korean War, currently involves approximately 28,500 U.S. troops stationed on the peninsula. Joint exercises are considered by military planners to be essential for maintaining interoperability between the two forces.

The move echoes decisions made during Trump's first administration and fits a broader pattern in his foreign policy approach of seeking direct engagement with adversarial leaders while reducing what he has called unnecessary military provocations. Critics argue that scaling back exercises undermines deterrence at a moment when North Korea has accelerated its weapons development program.