South Korea and the United States will conduct their annual Ulchi Freedom Shield (UFS) drill from Aug. 18 to 28, but will postpone about half of the planned field training exercises (FTXs) until September due to “extreme heat,” officials announced Thursday, amid questions over whether North Korean statements also influenced the adjustment.

The 11-day exercise will proceed as scheduled at a scale similar to last year’s drills, involving approximately 18,000 South Korean troops alongside U.S. forces, Col. Lee Sung-jun, spokesperson for the ROK Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters at a joint briefing with U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) on Thursday.