USFK drill near China exposes strains in Washington-Seoul alliance



Analysis USFK drill near China exposes strains in Washington-Seoul alliance Rare objections from South Korea spotlight consultation norms as US posture shifts toward China-focused deterrence Joon Ha ParkFebruary 25, 2026 SHARE COPY LINK FACEBOOK X LINKEDIN MASTODON U.S. Forces Korea Commander General Xavier Brunson and ROK Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back, with F-35 Lightning IIs flying over the U.S. Navy’s Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson during integration training for Freedom Shield 25 \| Image: ROK Air Force (March 13, 2025), ROK Ministry of National Defense (Nov. 5, 2025), U.S. Forces Korea (Nov. 17, 2025), edited by Korea Pro A U.S. Air Force drill near China’s Air Defense Identification Zone (CADIZ) has exposed growing strain in alliance coordination and raised questions about how Washington may increasingly employ U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) within a broader Indo-Pacific strategy centered on China. The episode began with a large-scale F-16 exercise over the Yellow Sea that prompted a temporary standoff with Chinese fighter jets and drew rare protest calls from South Korean Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back and Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) Chairman General Jin Yong-sung to USFK Commander General Xavier Brunson. While the drill did not breach CADIZ, its scale, proximity to © Korea Risk Group. All rights reserved. No part of this content may be reproduced, distributed, or used for commercial purposes without prior written permission from Korea Risk Group. LATEST ANALYSIS 01Lee Jae Myung’s ‘pacemaker’ strategy tests South Korea’s leverage with Trump 02Trump’s Korea investment victory lap masks safeguards Seoul still controls 03North Korean POW dispute tests Seoul-Kyiv trust and future Ukraine policy 04South Korea’s CPTPP push exposes the cost of turning trade gains into consensus 05AI storage boom gives South Korea battery makers an EV overcapacity lifeline 06South Korea’s Mexico strategy runs into the hard limits of USMCA politics 07Preschool test ban forces South Korea’s English hagwons to rethink placement 08Lee Jae Myung’s Wall Street pitch tests South Korea’s capital market credibility

Analysis

USFK drill near China exposes strains in Washington-Seoul alliance

Rare objections from South Korea spotlight consultation norms as US posture shifts toward China-focused deterrence

Joon Ha ParkFebruary 25, 2026

USFK drill near China exposes strains in Washington-Seoul alliance

U.S. Forces Korea Commander General Xavier Brunson and ROK Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back, with F-35 Lightning IIs flying over the U.S. Navy’s Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson during integration training for Freedom Shield 25 | Image: ROK Air Force (March 13, 2025), ROK Ministry of National Defense (Nov. 5, 2025), U.S. Forces Korea (Nov. 17, 2025), edited by Korea Pro

A U.S. Air Force drill near China’s Air Defense Identification Zone (CADIZ) has exposed growing strain in alliance coordination and raised questions about how Washington may increasingly employ U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) within a broader Indo-Pacific strategy centered on China.

The episode began with a large-scale F-16 exercise over the Yellow Sea that prompted a temporary standoff with Chinese fighter jets and drew rare protest calls from South Korean Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back and Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) Chairman General Jin Yong-sung to USFK Commander General Xavier Brunson.

While the drill did not breach CADIZ, its scale, proximity to

USFK drill near China exposes strains in Washington-Seoul alliance

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Joon Ha Park