Suspending Korea exercises caused slight dip in readiness - U.S. general

FILE PHOTO: Amphibious assault vehicles of the South Korean Marine Corps travel during a military exercise as a part of the annual joint military training called Foal Eagle between South Korea and the United States in Pohang, South Korea, April 5, 2018. REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji/File Photo

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Pentagon's nominee to be the next commander of U.S. forces in South Korea said on Tuesday that a decision to suspend some joint exercises between South Korea and the United States was a "prudent risk" but had caused a "slight degradation" in military readiness.

President Donald Trump caught many U.S. officials off guard earlier this year when he announced after an unprecedented summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un that the United States was suspending the summer’s joint military drills with South Korea.