US Forces Korea commander defends troop levels amid talk of cuts

One day after President Donald Trump suggested he might reduce the U.S. military footprint in South Korea , the head of U.S. Forces Korea testified that current troop levels are needed for pressing missions and challenges in the Pacific region.

“The troops that we have in the Republic of Korea are responsible wholly for preserving peace on the peninsula and in the region,” Army Gen. Xavier Brunson , who also serves as head of Combined Forces Command, told members of the Senate Armed Services Committee on Thursday.

“They are a critical component to ballistic missile defense in the region. They are critical to helping Indo-Pacific Command see, sense and understand threats to the north and to deter a great many adversaries.”

Currently, roughly 28,500 U.S. military personnel are stationed in South Korea, working with both regional military partners and United Nations countries. The Defense Department has had at least 25,000 American troops deployed continuously there since the early 1950s.

But Trump and his advisers have questioned the value of the long-term presence of American military forces at a number of overseas locations. During an Oval Office ceremony on Wednesday, Trump was asked about reducing the number of American troops stationed in Europe , and injected Korea into his answer.

“We pay for U.S. military in Europe, and we don’t get reimbursed by much. South Korea, too,” he said. “It will be one of the things that we discuss that is unrelated to trade, but we’ll make it part of the trade conversation. It would be nice to wrap it all up together.”

At the start of Thursday’s hearing, Senate Armed Services Committee ranking member Jack Reed, D-R.I., noted “there are rumors that the Defense department will direct a reduction of U.S. presence in South Korea, or retask these forces to focus on the threat from China” instead of North Korea.

Brunson did not address any of the force level change discussions directly, but said that from a military strategy standpoint, “we need to remember there is diplomacy and defense on the Korean Peninsula currently.”

He urged “strategic clarity” with any changes in force posture in the region, to ensure allies and adversaries understand America’s commitment to stability in the region.

Adm. Samuel Paparo, head of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, told lawmakers at the hearing that the forces stationed in Korea benefit not only that country but also numerous other allies in the region.

“They make significant contributions outside the Korean peninsula, including in their participation in multilateral exercises,” he said.

Defense Department officials have not announced any formal plans to begin force reductions or significant posture changes in the region. Trump did not provide any additional details on when a review of troop levels in Europe or the Pacific may begin.

Leo covers Congress, Veterans Affairs and the White House for Military Times. He has covered Washington, D.C. since 2004, focusing on military personnel and veterans policies. His work has earned numerous honors, including a 2009 Polk award, a 2010 National Headliner Award, the IAVA Leadership in Journalism award and the VFW News Media award.

在唐纳德·特朗普总统暗示他可能会减少美国在韩国的军事存在一天后，驻韩美军司令作证说，目前的驻军水平对于太平洋地区紧迫的任务和挑战是必要的。

“我们在韩国的部队全权负责维护朝鲜半岛和该地区的和平，”陆军上将泽维尔·布伦森（Xavier Brunson）周四告诉参议院军事委员会成员。布伦森同时也是联合部队司令部的负责人。

“它们是该地区弹道导弹防御的关键组成部分。它们对于帮助印太司令部发现、感知和了解北方威胁以及威慑众多对手至关重要。”

目前，约有28500名美军人员驻扎在韩国，与地区军事伙伴和联合国成员国开展合作。自20世纪50年代初以来，美国国防部一直向韩国持续部署至少25000名美军士兵。

但特朗普及其顾问一直质疑美军在多个海外地点长期驻扎的价值。周三在椭圆形办公室举行的一场仪式上，特朗普被问及是否会减少驻欧美军人数，他在回答中提到了朝鲜半岛局势。

“我们为驻欧美军买单，但几乎没有得到任何补偿。韩国也是如此，”他说。“这将是我们讨论的与贸易无关的问题之一，但我们会将其纳入贸易对话。如果能把所有问题一起解决就更好了。”

在周四的听证会开始时，参议院军事委员会资深成员杰克·里德博士指出，“有传言称，国防部将指示减少美国在韩国的驻军，或者重新调配这些部队，以应对来自中国的威胁”，而不是朝鲜。

布伦森没有直接谈及任何关于兵力调整的讨论，但他表示，从军事战略的角度来看，“我们需要记住，目前朝鲜半岛既有外交问题，也有国防问题。”

他敦促在调整该地区兵力部署时要“保持战略清晰”，以确保盟友和对手了解美国对该地区稳定的承诺。

美国印太司令部司令塞缪尔·帕帕罗海军上将在听证会上告​​诉议员们，驻扎在韩国的部队不仅有利于韩国，也有利于该地区的许多其他盟友。

他说：“他们在朝鲜半岛以外也做出了重大贡献，包括参与多边演习。”

国防部官员尚未宣布任何正式计划，以开始削减该地区的兵力或进行重大部署调整。特朗普也没有提供任何关于何时开始对欧洲或太平洋地区驻军人数进行审查的更多细节。

利奥为《军事时报》报道国会、退伍军人事务部和白宫的新闻。自2004年以来，他一直报道华盛顿特区的新闻，重点关注军人和退伍军人政策。他的作品荣获多项荣誉，包括2009年波尔克奖、2010年国家头条新闻奖、国际退伍军人协会新闻领导力奖和美国退伍军人协会新闻媒体奖。