By Song Sang-ho
WASHINGTON, April 30 (Yonhap) — A Pentagon official on Thursday declined to comment on a potential U.S. force posture change in South Korea, but highlighted the United States’ “unwavering” defense commitment to the Asian ally, amid reemerging concerns over the possibility of a troop drawdown in Korea.
The official’s remarks came as questions resurfaced over whether the U.S. might consider reducing its 28,500-strong U.S. Forces Korea after U.S. President Donald Trump said Wednesday the U.S. is weighing a potential reduction of its troops in Germany.
“The Department does not comment on potential force posture adjustments. U.S. forces in Korea remain focused on deterrence and readiness,” the official told Yonhap News Agency via email.
“Our commitment to the defense of the Republic of Korea is unwavering, and the Alliance continues to underpin stability on the (Korean) Peninsula,” he added, referring to South Korea by its official name.
The official was responding to Yonhap News Agency’s question about whether the Pentagon is ruling out the possibility of a USFK drawdown or considering it as a possibility.
This file photo, released by the Associated Press, shows the Pentagon viewed from the window of an airplane on Aug. 27, 2023. (Yonhap)
In a social media post the previous day, Trump said that his administration is “studying and reviewing” a possible troop reduction in Germany, with a decision to be made over “the next short period of time” — an announcement that stoked concerns that he could also consider a troop cut in other allied countries.
The announcement followed a report by The Wall Street Journal that his administration is considering punishing some members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization that he perceived as unhelpful to the U.S. during the U.S.-Israeli war in Iran.
Seoul and Washington have been working on “modernizing” the bilateral alliance, which analysts say could lead to an adjustment in the U.S. force posture in Korea at a time when Washington wants greater operational flexibility of its USFK service members.
Last year, The Wall Street Journal reported that the U.S. is weighing the idea of pulling out roughly 4,500 USFK troops and moving them to other locations in the Indo-Pacific, including Guam. The Pentagon dismissed the report as “not true.”
sshluck@yna.co.kr
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