The U.S. Defense Authorization Act, which excludes the ‘restriction on reduction of U.S. forces in Korea’… Will it shake the security of the Korean Peninsula?

On the 2nd (local time), the US House of Representatives Armed Services Committee passed the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for next year, excluding the existing provision that prohibits the reduction of US forces in Korea. Since it is still in the standing committee stage and a clause emphasizing the maintenance of USFK was added instead, it is not an issue that will lead to changes in USFK immediately. However, concerns are growing in line with the movement of the Joe Biden administration, which is pushing for the redeployment of U.S. forces around the world.

The House Armed Forces Committee held a plenary session to review the NDAA for fiscal year 2022 from the morning of the 1st and passed the 1,500-page NDAA bill in the early morning of the 2nd. In the bill passed by the Military Committee, a clause on the reduction restrictions stating that “the U.S. Department of Defense cannot easily use its budget to reduce the number of U.S. forces in Korea to less than 28,500”, which had been included for three consecutive years from 2019, was omitted.

Instead, a phrase supporting the presence of US forces in Korea was inserted. After emphasizing the importance of the ROK-US alliance and USFK, the bill stipulated that “the deployment of approximately 28,500 US forces in Korea is not only a force for stability on the Korean Peninsula, but also a (security) reaffirmation of all allies in the region.” In particular, he ordered that “the existing strong USFK presence should be maintained to deter attacks on the United States and all its allies and allies.”

The NDAA is a bill that sets out the U.S. defense budget and must be passed by Congress every year. The US Congress has incorporated restrictions into the NDAA to prevent former President Donald Trump’s attempts to reduce US forces in Korea, which took office in 2018. However, this time, instead of specifying these restrictions, it was changed to a format that emphasized ‘maintaining a strong USFK presence’ along with the size of USFK.

A large American flag is displayed on the lawn of the National Mall in front of the Capitol in Washington on January 18, two days before the inauguration of US President Joe Biden. Washington = Associated Press

It is reported that the US Congress and the administration gave an explanation to the Korean government to the effect that “(the new NDAA bill) has nothing to do with the reduction of the US in Korea.” It was the logic that President Biden had no intention of reducing US forces in Korea, and there was no need to adhere to the provisions of the Trump administration. After the House of Representatives Military Committee, there is a possibility that the NDAA provisions will be revised in the process, as there are many procedures in the future, such as the Senate Military Committee, the Senate/Household plenary session, and the joint meeting.

However, it is also causing a subtle wave in connection with the ‘Biden-style America first’, which was confirmed in the process of withdrawing US troops from Afghanistan. In particular, President Biden ordered a ‘Global Posture Review’ from the Pentagon in February right after taking office. Moreover, it is highly likely to change the deployment of U.S. forces in Germany, Japan, and South Korea, where they are stationed, because they prefer ‘strategic flexibility’ to immediately deploy U.S. forces where they are needed. If the size of the USFK or the principle of its presence changes, it will inevitably affect the security situation on the Korean Peninsula.

On the other hand, the NDAA processed by the Military Committee on the same day contained the contents of a review order to add four countries including Korea, Japan, Germany and India to the ‘Five Eyes’, an alliance of confidential information sharing of five countries including the United States.

Washington = Jeong Sang-won correspondent ornot@hankookilbo.com