U.S. House passes defense bill to maintain USFK numbers above 28,500 troops

The U.S. House of Representatives has passed the final version of next year’s National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which will maintain the size of U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) above the current minimum of 28,500 troops.

U.S. Stryker armored vehicles stationed in Korea and Korean K200 armored vehicles cross a floating bridge during a combined arms river-crossing exercise held in Yeoju, Gyeonggi, on Aug. 27. [YONHAP]

The U.S. House of Representatives has passed the final version of next year’s National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which will maintain the size of U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) above the current minimum of 28,500 troops.

The Associated Press reported on Wednesday that the House approved the compromise bill for the 2026 fiscal year, which runs from October 2025 to September 2026, in a vote of 312 in favor and 112 against.

"The legislation next heads to the Senate, where leaders are working to pass the bill before lawmakers depart Washington for a holiday break," the AP report said.

The NDAA includes a provision that bars the Trump administration from using authorized funds to unilaterally reduce U.S. troop levels in Korea to below the current level of 28,500. The bill also prohibits the Pentagon from using defense funds to transfer wartime operational control (Opcon) from the Combined Forces Command to a Korean-led command.

The bill includes an exception that lifts the restriction after 60 days if the Trump administration submits a report to the relevant committees confirming that a USFK troop reduction would serve U.S. national security interests and that it consulted appropriately with allies, including Korea, Japan and countries that contribute militarily to the United Nations Command.

The NDAA is an annual bill that authorizes the U.S. Department of Defense’s spending and policy priorities.

Lawmakers included the provisions related to USFK in versions that the House passed in September and the Senate passed in October, before they finalized the conference process.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom. BY SHIN HYE-YEON [paik.jihwan@joongang.co.kr]