The U.S. Defense Department said on Tuesday that it has not seen a significant reduction in the readiness or ability of its troops in South Korea following the postponement of combined military exercises due to the coronavirus.

Pentagon spokesperson Jonathan Hoffman issued the position during a press briefing when asked about the delayed exercises and readiness of U.S. troops in South Korea. 

The spokesperson said that the Pentagon's assessment at this point would be that it has not yet seen any dramatic reduction in readiness or ability of U.S. forces based on COVID-19.

Hoffman added that the allies hope to resume some of their scaled-back activities once the outbreak passes on the Korean Peninsula and the weather gets warmer.

The allies announced last month that they would postpone indefinitely combined military exercises planned for early this month over concerns about the spread of the coronavirus.