The United States Department of Defense expressed its intention to faithfully adhere to its defense commitments to Korea regarding the implementation of plans for the reduction of U.S. troops in South Korea.
On the 2nd (local time), Shawn Parnell, spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Defense, responded during a briefing at the Pentagon near Washington, D.C., to a question asking, “Does the U.S. Department of Defense plan to reduce troops in South Korea?” by stating, “Typically, we do not assess military posture reviews here.”
Since the launch of the Trump administration's second term, the U.S. Department of Defense has been reviewing plans for the redistribution of U.S. military forces deployed globally, but noted that it cannot disclose plans being reviewed before final decisions are made.
Parnell noted instead, “The U.S. has a rock-solid alliance with Korea” and stated, “We will remain faithful to that alliance,” indicating that he did not reveal any direct implementation details.
Previously, The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported on May 22, citing U.S. Department of Defense officials, that the department was preparing to relocate approximately 4,500 troops from South Korea to other regions, raising concerns over the potential repositioning of U.S. troops in South Korea. The U.S. Department of Defense has denied this.
The Trump administration is reviewing the overall posture of U.S. troops deployed in the Indo-Pacific region in anticipation of releasing a new National Defense Strategy (NDS) as early as August. Steven J. Townsend, commander of U.S. Forces Japan, also predicted on the 28th of last month that U.S. forces in Japan would soon transition to a unified command.