US Senate Blocks Reduction of US Forces in Korea "Cannot Reduce Without Department of Defense Assurance"

[Financial News]  The US Senate added a clause to next year's defense budget bill requiring congressional approval for the reduction of US forces in Korea. This is presumed to be a measure to preemptively check the Trump administration amid rumors of a reduction of US forces in Korea following the first Trump administration.
The US Senate Armed Services Committee released a summary of the 2026 fiscal year (October 2025~September 2026) National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) on its website on the 11th (local time). The NDAA is an annual bill that approves the Department of Defense's budget expenditures and policies. When processing the bill, the US Congress handles drafts in both the Senate and the House, then creates a unified bill for final decision. The Senate Armed Services Committee put the Senate draft to a vote on the 11th, passing it with 26 votes in favor and 1 against.
The Senate draft includes content that was not in the Biden administration last year. The bill contains a provision prohibiting actions such as "the reduction of US military posture on the Korean Peninsula or the transfer of wartime operational control to the Combined Forces Command until the US Secretary of Defense assures Congress that it aligns with national interests." Additionally, the Senate draft requires the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Indo-Pacific Commander, and the Commander of US Forces Korea to conduct an independent assessment of the risks associated with the reduction of US forces in Korea or the transfer of operational control.
Last year's NDAA under the Biden administration did not contain specific restrictions on the reduction of US forces in Korea. Instead, it included language stating that the US should work to strengthen alliances and partnerships in the Indo-Pacific region. Such efforts include "maintaining the approximately 28,500 US troops stationed in Korea, enhancing mutual defense-based cooperation, and reaffirming the commitment to provide extended deterrence by utilizing all US defense capabilities, including strengthening the alliance with Korea."
The summary does not mention specific maintenance levels for US forces in Korea. However, the content released this time is similar to the first Trump administration's bill. At that time, the US Congress specified the maintenance level of US forces in Korea in the NDAA for fiscal years 2019~2021 to prevent the first Trump administration from reducing US forces in Korea, and stipulated that NDAA funds could not be used for the reduction of US forces in Korea. However, at that time, a proviso was attached that allowed the reduction of US forces in Korea if the Secretary of Defense assured Congress that it was in the US national interest, would not significantly weaken the security of US allies in the region, and had been properly consulted with Korea and Japan.
The budget use prohibition clause, which was the greatest safety pin for the reduction of US forces in Korea, was removed from the NDAA after former President Joe Biden, who valued the US-Korea alliance, took office, reducing the possibility of reducing US forces in Korea.
Earlier, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported in May, citing sources, that the second Trump administration was considering a plan to withdraw 4,500 US troops from Korea and relocate them to other areas in the Indo-Pacific, including Guam, a US territory.
US President Donald Trump mentioned the defense cost-sharing of US forces in Korea at a cabinet meeting at the White House on the 8th and argued, "I think Korea should pay $10 billion (about 13.7 trillion won) a year." He further stated that the stationing of US forces in Korea is "a loss to the US."
In the US Congress, there are differing opinions on Trump's claim to reduce US forces in Korea. Roger Wicker (Mississippi), Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee of the Republican Party, and Jack Reed (Rhode Island), the Democratic ranking member of the Armed Services Committee, expressed negative reactions to the reduction of US forces in Korea at the Armed Services Committee NDAA hearing on April 10. At that time, Wicker pressed military officials, saying, "There are reports that some mid-level managers in the Department of Defense are considering reducing US forces in Korea to focus on the threat from China to the US mainland." Reed also stated, "Korea and Japan significantly contribute to the defense cost-sharing and stationing of US forces," expressing concern about the reduction of US forces stationed in both countries.








pjw@fnnews.com Park Jong-won Reporter