Cutting joint drills with South Korea weakens deterrence at the worst possible time. North Korea has gained real battlefield experience in Ukraine and access to advanced drone warfare tactics, making allied readiness more critical than ever. Scaling back exercises looks less like diplomacy and more like leverage for an Iran agenda Seoul never formally agreed to support, undermining Peninsula security and a vital alliance without a credible diplomatic return.

The drills remain the real problem, regardless of how much their duration is reduced. South Korea and the U.S. are still conducting military exercises that are provocative and hostile toward North Korea, making the shorter schedule largely insignificant. Until these exercises stop, Washington's talk of diplomacy offers little reason for Pyongyang to change course, and it's is justified in defending its security.