USFK chief says U.S. should maintain 28,500 troops in Korea amid Trump fears

The commander of U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) called for maintaining the American troop presence in South Korea at its current size as concerns grow that former President Donald Trump could slash the deployment if reelected.

Commander of the U.S. Forces in Korea Gen. Paul LaCamera speaks during a hearing of the House Armed Services Committee in Washington on Wednesday. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

The commander of U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) called for maintaining the American troop presence in South Korea at its current size as concerns grow that former President Donald Trump could slash the deployment if reelected.

“To defend the ROK, we must continue to invest in the 28,500 service members, including by trilateral and multilateral exercises on and off the peninsula, multi-domain training integrating live, virtual and constructive entities and continue to experiment with next-generation capabilities,” Gen. Paul LaCamera said during a hearing of the House Armed Services Committee in Washington.

The ROK is the acronym for South Korea’s official name, the Republic of Korea.

LaCamera's remarks come amid worries that if Trump returns to the White House, he could reduce USFK troop numbers.

Although the current level is stated in the U.S. National Defense Authorization Act, Christopher Miller, who briefly served as the Pentagon's acting chief under Trump, said in a recent media interview that the government should discuss whether "a change is needed" regarding the U.S. presence in South Korea.

“We must continue to build physical, mental and spiritual readiness through operations and activities designed to compete in the gray zone with the DPRK,” said LaCamera during the hearing.

The DPRK is the acronym for North Korea’s official name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.

“The ROK sits at the heart of Northeast Asia, a region of significant security and economic interest for the United States,” LaCamera said. “The presence of U.S. forces in the ROK and Japan demonstrates our ironclad commitment to the people of Korea and protects our strategic interests in Northeast Asia and the Indo-Pacific region.”

LaCamera said both China and Russia are “mindful that there is a premier Joint Force of 28,500 plus American service members forward deployed to the ROK” and that “these geographic realities, combined with powerful economic interests, make the ROK the linchpin of security in Northeast Asia and a treaty ally we must defend.”

He said North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s top priority is “regime survivability,” adding that Kim is “developing weapons of mass destruction, and for that, he is looking for sanctions relief.”

LaCamera also mentioned North Korea's continuous military aggression and stressed the North’s connection to Russia, saying that Kim is “having Russia test some of his equipment by providing that for the fight in Ukraine.”

The top general also expressed concern about USFK’s “ability to compete in the information environment in Northeast Asia” in light of China, Russia and North Korea’s “aggressive investments in information warfare technology and operational practices.”

“As the largest U.S. force on the Asian continent, USFK is uniquely positioned to counter many of the disinformation, misinformation, and mal-information efforts of our competitors and adversaries and defeat enemies during conflict,” said LaCamera.

“It is imperative for us to remember that the Korean War has not ended,” LaCamera said. “The Korean Peninsula is in an armistice, and the DPRK continues to develop capabilities that threaten not only the region but nations around the world. We must maintain our ironclad commitment to the alliance which has endured since the Korean War and never take it for granted.” .

BY LIM JEONG-WON [lim.jeongwon@joongang.co.kr]