In light of the current novel coronavirus outbreak, South Korea and the US are considering scaling back their joint defense drills scheduled for March. US Defense Secretary Mark Esper announced a potential reduction of South Korea-US joint defense drills after a meeting with South Korean Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo at the Pentagon on Feb. 24. "[USFK Commander Gen.] Robert Abrams and [South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Park Han-ki] are looking at scaling back the command post training due to concerns about the coronavirus," Esper said at a joint press conference with Jeong. Esper’s remarks likely refer to the computer-simulated command post exercise (CPX) scheduled for two weeks starting Mar. 9, which would involve hundreds of South Korean and US soldiers in bunkers in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province.