Trump Cuts South Korea Drills | Japan Deepens India, Australia Defense Ties
By TaiwanPlus
The US military has scaled back its annual Ulchi Freedom Shield (UFS) exercises with South Korea, following US President Donald Trump's praise on social media of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's supposed "restraint.” Meanwhile, Japanese Defense Minister Koizumi Shinjiro recently visited fellow Quad members India and Australia in an attempt to expand Japan's security network in the region. The reduced UFS exercises and the shifting of US naval assets from the Pacific to the Middle East — including the USS George Washington carrier strike group — have reignited debate over the US's long-term strategic goals. With China and Russia increasing pressure on US allies, are we witnessing a retrenchment or a recalibration? In this episode, we examine the implications of the latest US military shifts, Japan's expanding security partnerships, and what these developments mean for deterrence and alliance cohesion in the Indo-Pacific. *Recorded on August 20, 2026 at 4pm Taiwan Standard Time Host/Senior Producer: Yin Khvat Planner: Miguel Yang Research Assistant: April Lin Videographer: Damon Lin Our guests: Michael Shoebridge - Strategic Analysis Australia Founder and Director Tony Hu - Former US Department of Defense Senior Director for China, Taiwan and Mongolia Roger Chifeng Liu - Taiwan Thinktank DIMEs Center Comprehensive Diplomacy Team Director
