"No Order to Withdraw USFK but Global US Troop Deployment Adjustments Under Review" (Comprehensive)

Esper's US Defense Remarks... Possibility of Continued Controversy Over USFK Withdrawal
Pressure Card on Defense Cost Sharing Remains Effective

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy New York=Correspondent Baek Jong-min] Mark Esper, U.S. Secretary of Defense (photo), stated on the 21st (local time) regarding rumors of U.S. troop reductions in South Korea, "I have never given an order to withdraw troops from the Korean Peninsula," but also said that adjustments to U.S. troop deployments and stationing worldwide will be reviewed. Although Esper's remarks seem to dismiss the rumors of U.S. troop reductions in South Korea at first glance, the emphasis on troop redeployment suggests that the controversy over reducing U.S. forces in South Korea is likely to continue.

At a virtual seminar hosted by the UK think tank International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) on the same day, Secretary Esper said, "When I took office, I made it clear that I would implement the National Defense Strategy (NDS). The core of that is to review all geographic combatant commands and not only execute the NDS but also ensure that we are optimized and deployed to carry out our regional missions." He added, "We will continue to review adjustments at all commands to confirm that we are optimizing our forces in every theater," emphasizing that adjustments to U.S. troop deployments worldwide will be considered.

Esper’s remarks on the day imply that although no order has yet been given to reduce U.S. forces in South Korea, there remains a possibility of such action in the future. This means the debate over reducing U.S. troops in South Korea will continue.

In addition, regarding the stalled defense cost-sharing negotiations between South Korea and the U.S., it cannot be ruled out that U.S. President Donald Trump, with the U.S. presidential election imminent, might actually implement such measures. Although opposition to reducing U.S. forces in South Korea is spreading within U.S. circles, it could be used as a reversal card by President Trump, who is struggling with declining approval ratings. Reflecting this atmosphere, the Associated Press reported that Secretary Esper revealed the Department of Defense is reviewing adjustments to U.S. forces stationed in South Korea and worldwide, including South Korea as a target.

The U.S. Department of Defense also joined in. In response to questions about the rumors of U.S. troop reductions in South Korea, the Department reaffirmed its position on reviewing global force posture and stated that such reviews will be conducted in cooperation with allies. However, it did not provide specific answers as to whether these force posture reviews would lead to reductions or whether the reduction issue would be linked to the South Korea-U.S. defense cost-sharing negotiations.

Earlier, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported on the 17th that the U.S. Department of Defense had proposed a plan to reduce U.S. forces in South Korea to the White House in March. On the same day, Mark Milley, Chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, mentioned rotational deployments of U.S. forces overseas, including South Korea, saying, "We need to rotate forces very frequently."

Shin Jong-woo, Senior Research Fellow at the Korea Defense and Security Forum, said, "The U.S. military may consider emergency rotational deployments of U.S. forces in South Korea, but since ground forces take a long time to deploy, it is difficult to realize. However, the new concept of rotational deployment by the U.S. military could be used as a pressure card linked to increases in defense costs."

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