Drills

President Lee Jae Myung has long pushed for stronger homegrown defences, yet Donald Trump’s move has sparked alarm in some quartersAt their first summit, in August last year, South Korean president Lee Jae Myung told Donald Trump: “If you, Mr President, become the peacemaker, then I will assist you as the pacemaker.”The remark at the Oval Office captured the thrust of Lee’s approach to the North: dial down the military posturing and make repeated peace overtures to revive dialogue, even if they have been consistently rejected by Pyongyang largely over Seoul’s insistence on denuclearisation. Continue reading...

South Korea’s joint chiefs of staff said the Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise would end on 21 August at the request of the USSouth Korea’s military has confirmed that joint military drills with the US will be cut short, days after Donald Trump ordered the Pentagon to scale back the exercises.In a statement on Wednesday, South Korea’s joint chiefs of staff said at the request of the US side, the Ulchi Freedom Shield (UFS) exercise – which began on Monday would end on Friday, six days earlier than originally planned. Continue reading...

• President Donald Trump announced that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has responded to his diplomatic overtures. • This development follows a strategic decision by the United States to scale back joint military exercises with South Korea in Seoul. • The shift in military posture is seen by experts as a critical gesture of goodwill intended to lower tensions on the peninsula.

Lee Jae Myung reiterates desire for full command back in Seoul’s hands after Donald Trump cuts joint exercises, citing warm ties with Kim Jong-un‘Inane, haphazard decision’ by Trump to gut South Korea allianceSouth Korea’s president ⁠has renewed his push to regain independent control of the military from the US in the event of war and urged faster progress in acquiring nuclear-powered submarines after Donald Trump’s order to cut joint drills.On Sunday night, Trump instructed the Pentagon to “substantially reduce” this week’s joint military exercises with South Korea, saying the nuclear-armed North “has been unthreatening and respectful” and that the US president had a “very good relationship with Kim Jong-un”. Continue reading...

President said he was ‘not happy’ with plans for large-scale joint exercises he described as ‘inappropriate and hostile’. Plus, how five obscure horses have ended up at the center of a transatlantic betting mysteryGood morning. Donald Trump has said he is scaling back joint US military drills with South Korea aimed at deterring North Korea, despite military officials from both countries warning that Kim Jong-un’s regime is learning new battlefield tactics from the Ukraine war.The president said he was “not happy” with US participation “based on my very good relationship with Kim Jong-un”. He added that the drills were costly and “send a signal that is totally inappropriate and hostile, to a country that, as long as Donald J Trump has been president, has been unthreatening and respectful”. Trump added that it was too late to cancel the drills so he had ordered the defence secretary, Pete Hegseth, to “substantially reduce” them.Why are there continuing concerns about USS Abraham Lincoln? Democrats have intensified their demands for answers from the Trump administration over conditions onboard the USS Abraham Lincoln amid concern over crew morale, mental health and living conditions. Ruben Gallego, a Democratic senator from Arizona, said he blamed the carrier’s prolonged deployment on the unresolved war that Donald Trump started in February with Iran as well as lackluster leadership in general from the Republican president’s administration. Continue reading...

President orders Pentagon to scale back ‘inappropriate and hostile’ exercises with South KoreaAndy Burnham exchanged messages with someone impersonating Donald Trump’s chief of staff, the Guardian understands.The UK prime minister was in contact with an unknown individual pretending to be the senior White House aide Susie Wiles before concerns were raised about the incident. No messages of significance were sent and the suspicious activity was quickly reported to the appropriate authorities, it is understood. Continue reading...

President says move is based on ‘very good relationship with Kim Jong-un’ but US military officials have said Ukraine war is boosting regime’s combat capabilitiesDonald Trump has said he is scaling back joint US military drills with South Korea aimed at deterring North Korea, despite military officials from both countries warning that Kim Jong-un’s regime was learning new battlefield tactics from the Ukraine war.The drills under Ulchi Freedom Shield, one of two major annual exercises held by South Korea and the US, start on Monday and run until 27 August. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Muslim Council of Britain national guidance also urges mosques to strengthen police ties and improve CCTVMosques are being advised to carry out lockdown drills, strengthen ties with local police and improve CCTV coverage under new national guidance published amid growing concerns about anti-Muslim attacks.The Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) has released new security and preparedness framework for mosques, trustees and volunteers, warning that places of worship and community centres face an increasing threat from vandalism, intimidation, threats and targeted hostility. Continue reading...

Meeting also comes amid recent brutal Russian attacks and Putin’s visit to ChinaThe UN security council is meeting to discuss the situation in Ukraine today in response to recent brutal Russian attacks on the country and joint nuclear weapons drills starting in Russia and Belarus.The meeting – called by Denmark, France, Greece, Latvia, Liberia, and UK – is expected to cover the latest on “peace and security” situation in Ukraine. Continue reading...

• Airborne troops from Japan, the United States, and the United Kingdom commenced joint military exercises, strengthening trilateral defense cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region. • The drills involve coordination and interoperability training among elite paratrooper units from the three allied nations. • The exercises demonstrate commitment to regional security partnerships and deterrence against potential regional threats.

• The People's Liberation Army conducted live-fire exercises in the Taiwan Strait on April 17, with Chinese warships and fighter jets operating within 50 nautical miles of Taiwan's territorial waters—a proximity not seen since 2020. • Taiwan's defense ministry scrambled fighter jets in response and confirmed the U.S. Navy carrier USS Ronald Reagan transited the strait early on April 18, marking the second transit in four weeks. • U.S. Indo-Pacific Command stated the transit "demonstrates the United States' commitment to freedom of navigation and a rules-based international order," prompting a sharp rebuke from Beijing's Foreign Ministry.

• North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles from near Pyongyang into the Sea of Japan at 5:20 AM UTC on April 8, 2026, reaching 500 km altitude per South Korean military. • The launch followed US B-52 bomber flights over the peninsula; Kim Jong Un called it a 'warning to imperialists' in state media. • It heightens regional tensions, with Japan evacuating 10,000 residents near landing zones and US vowing 'ironclad' deterrence.

• US and Israeli forces launched expanded 'Juniper Oak' drills on April 4, 2026, involving 12,000 troops simulating multi-front attacks near the Lebanon border. • Drills feature F-35 joint operations and Iron Dome intercepts, responding to 150 Hezbollah rocket launches since March 15. • Exercise underscores US commitment with $3.8 billion annual aid, amid warnings from Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin of 'deterring wider escalation.'