A draft of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA; defense budget bill) for fiscal 2027 (October 2026–September 2027) prepared in the U.S. House of Representatives is understood to have strengthened provisions related to maintaining the current size of U.S. Forces Korea.
According to political circles on the 28th (local time), the draft of next year's NDAA (CHAIRMAN'S MARK) recently released by House Armed Services Committee Chairperson Mike Rogers (Alabama, Republican) explicitly states that the prohibition on using funds related to "oversight of U.S. military posture on the Korean Peninsula," based on the fiscal 2026 NDAA, will be extended through fiscal 2027.
The NDAA is an annual law that authorizes the Ministry of National Defense's budget expenditure and policies. It takes effect after passing both chambers and receiving the president's signature. Because the NDAA must pass both the House and the Senate, even if the House version is finalized going forward, the language could change during coordination with the Senate.
The fiscal 2026 NDAA stipulates that amounts authorized under the law cannot be obligated or executed for purposes such as reducing U.S. Forces Korea below 28,500 personnel. The same prohibition is included in the fiscal 2027 NDAA draft. In particular, it also expands the scope of budget items that cannot be spent when reducing U.S. Forces Korea below 28,500.
The current NDAA restricts only funds appropriated under the NDAA. However, the new NDAA draft specifies that not only the NDAA but also any amounts appropriated under other laws applicable to fiscal 2026 and 2027 cannot be obligated or executed. In other words, funds allocated under laws other than the National Defense Authorization Act also cannot be used to reduce U.S. Forces Korea below 28,500.
The draft NDAA also includes strong checks on the president's unilateral decisions regarding the reduction and redeployment of U.S. forces stationed in Europe. However, the restrictions on reducing U.S. Forces Korea remain effectively advisory provisions in the current NDAA. Therefore, it cannot be ruled out that they will stay at the advisory level next year as well.
The U.S. Congress's move to strengthen checks on President Trump's unilateral reduction of U.S. Forces Korea appears not unrelated to the president's "shaking the alliance" approach. Concerns about alliance management have grown in and outside the United States as President Trump, in what was seen as a punitive measure against Germany for being out of step by not responding to troop deployment requests during the Iran war, ordered reductions of U.S. forces in Germany.