Draft of US House Defense Authorization Bill Omits Minimum Troop Level Clause for US Forces in South Korea

Draft of Military Commission Chairman Released... Parliament Says "Unnecessary Clause for Alliance-Focused Biden"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Suhwan] The draft National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) revealed on the 30th (local time) by the Chairman of the U.S. House Armed Services Committee did not include the existing provision setting a minimum number of U.S. troops stationed in South Korea.

According to VOA on the same day, Adam Smith, a Democrat and Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, disclosed the draft NDAA for fiscal year 2022. The NDAA is a bill containing the U.S. defense budget and must be passed by Congress annually.

This draft, prepared independently by Chairman Smith ahead of the NDAA review by the Armed Services Committee scheduled for the 1st of next month, omitted the provision previously included in the NDAA passed by Congress that aimed to prevent reductions in U.S. forces in South Korea.

The U.S. Congress included a provision for three consecutive years from the fiscal year 2019 NDAA through the fiscal year 2021 NDAA that effectively prohibited using the budget to reduce the number of U.S. troops stationed in South Korea.

With the removal of this minimum troop level provision, concerns have arisen that the Biden administration might be leaving room for future reductions.

However, it is reported that the U.S. Congress and administration have explained to the South Korean side that the omission of this provision in Chairman Smith’s draft has nothing to do with reducing U.S. forces in South Korea.

A U.S. congressional official reportedly explained that this provision was originally created to check former President Donald Trump, who threatened to reduce or withdraw U.S. troops stationed in allied countries, but under the Biden administration, it has become unnecessary.

In fact, this provision was first raised during the NDAA review in 2018 under the Trump administration and was included in the laws passed by Congress for three consecutive years starting from fiscal year 2019.

It was regulated at 22,000 troops in fiscal year 2019 and raised to 28,500 troops in fiscal years 2020 and 2021. This was interpreted as reflecting Congress’s consensus to prevent President Trump, who did not properly recognize the value of alliances, from unilaterally reducing U.S. forces in South Korea.

When former President Trump announced plans to reduce U.S. troops stationed in Germany last year, Congress responded by including provisions in the fiscal year 2021 NDAA to prevent reductions of U.S. forces in Germany. However, this provision was also omitted in Chairman Smith’s current draft.

A senior U.S. administration official reportedly confirmed to the U.S. Embassy in South Korea that the Biden administration has no plans for troop reductions and explained in a similar vein that the existing provisions have served their purpose.

Jake Sullivan, White House National Security Advisor, stated on the 17th in response to questions about reducing U.S. forces in South Korea, "As the President has repeatedly said, he has no intention of reducing our military forces from South Korea or Europe."

The NDAA is processed separately by the Senate and House Armed Services Committees, then a joint conference committee is formed to reconcile the bills. After final coordination between the parties in the joint committee, the Senate and House each vote once more to pass the bill, completing the final approval process.

Meanwhile, VOA reported that Chairman Smith’s draft emphasizes the importance of strengthening alliances and regional forces in the Indo-Pacific region to counter threats from China and North Korea.

It also includes provisions to continue funding the development of homeland defense radar systems and the deployment of this radar in Hawaii to prepare for evolving ballistic missile threats from North Korea and others.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.