As discussions arise about the need to reduce U.S. troops in South Korea, Xavier Brunson, the commander of U.S. Forces Korea and the Combined Forces Command, said, "Capabilities are more important than numbers." This is interpreted as not ruling out the possibility of reducing the number of U.S. troops in South Korea from 28,500.
During a press briefing held at the U.S. Army base in Humphreys, Pyeongtaek, on 8th, Brunson noted, "As a commander, I believe there needs to be change in U.S. Forces Korea," and added, "It's not about the numbers; what's important are the capabilities of the deployment forces."
He stated, "I am considering the deployment of multi-domain task forces and fifth-generation fighters," and added, "I am contemplating how to introduce new military capabilities to the Korean Peninsula to change the security environment." This suggests that advanced weapons could offset the reduction of stationed troops.
Earlier, The Wall Street Journal reported that the U.S. is considering withdrawing 4,500 of the 28,500 U.S. troops in South Korea. Last month, a U.S. think tank also argued that the number of U.S. troops in South Korea should be reduced to about 10,000. Discussions regarding U.S. Forces Korea are expected to occur during the upcoming South Korea-U.S. summit.
Brunson maintains that the South Korea-U.S. alliance must prepare for threats not only from North Korea but also from Russia and other dangers. He said, "The mutual defense treaty between South Korea and the United States never specifically identifies an 'enemy'" and questioned, "While North Korea is 'the crocodile closest to the boat' that we keep a close watch on, isn't Russia, which is exchanging weapons and military technology with North Korea, a threat?"
Regarding 'strategic flexibility,' he cited the example of the Patriot missile system that was cyclically deployed in the Middle East. He stated, "This is an example showing that the U.S. military can flexibly deploy troops as needed," and added, "Strategic flexibility is not fundamentally different from the context of the reassignment of Patriots." Just as the U.S. cyclically deployed Patriot batteries for defensive operations in Israel, U.S. Forces Korea may also be cyclically deployed according to the security situation in the Indo-Pacific region.
Brunson noted, "I don't know what will be discussed regarding U.S. Forces Korea at the summit, but there will be related decisions," and stated, "It will not solely be a discussion about numbers; it will involve discussions about available capabilities for the mission."
Regarding the transfer of operational control, he expressed, "I have always hoped it would occur at some future point when 'conditions are met,'" and said, "Changing conditions while in progress is risky, and there are reasons for setting those conditions in the first place, which still hold true."
He continued, "Rushing to simply say the operational control has been 'transferred' does not serve the interests of both countries," and emphasized, "Changing plans requires a new agreement, which must also be established militarily to maintain peace on the Korean Peninsula."
The fulfillment of conditions for the transfer of operational control will be verified through joint South Korea-U.S. exercises such as 'Ulchi Freedom Shield (UFS).' It must go through three stages: initial operational capability (IOC) verification, full operational capability (FOC) verification, and full mission capability (FMC) verification. The current stage of FOC verification is ongoing. Brunson warned, "Choosing shortcuts regarding the transfer of operational control could pose issues for readiness on the Korean Peninsula."