Korea war games recast as classes in sounding delighted
Troops will still turn up, but only to rehearse not causing offence.
The Pentagon has issued a kinder syllabus for Ulchi Freedom Shield. The tanks remain parked. The soldiers will practise being pleased.
The annual drills with South Korea still start on Monday. They no longer rehearse stopping an attack. They rehearse not causing one by accident of tone.
Washington had already ordered the exercises scaled back. Commanders had warned that North Korea was taking notes from Ukraine. It is a sequel with the battles cut for runtime.
Units have been handed a card of safe remarks. One line praises the weather. Another praises the idea of praise.
A clerk at the joint scheduling desk, who asked not to be named, described the timetable.
We spend Tuesday on adjectives and Wednesday on not pointing at maps.
Graduation is a group photograph. Nobody is armed. Everybody looks free for lunch.
