U.S. Forces Korea chief hints at troop changes

Gen. Xavier Brunson, commander of U.S. Forces Korea, said on Saturday that a decision would be made regarding a reduction or adjustment of U.S. troops in South Korea, stressing that “what matters is capability, not numbers.” He added that no U.S.-Korea alliance document identifies an “adversary” and that there are no rules preventing troop movement. His remarks suggested both the possibility of a troop cut and the potential deployment of U.S. Forces Korea to a U.S.-China conflict without South Korea’s prior consent, ahead of the upcoming South Korea-U.S. summit.

Gen. Brunson held his first press conference since taking office at Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, speaking to Defense Ministry correspondents. He said U.S. Forces Korea must adapt by prioritizing capabilities over troop numbers, and that he is weighing the deployment of a Multi-Domain Task Force, including its Multi-Domain Effects Battalion, as well as fifth-generation fighter jets, to the Korean Peninsula.

The MDTF is a U.S. Army unit designed to conduct integrated operations across land, air, sea, space, and cyberspace. Its MDEB specializes in electronic warfare, cyberattacks, and long-range precision strikes. Deploying such a unit to South Korea would mark the first time the MDTF is stationed outside the United States.

Gen. Brunson also said that concentrating forces in a single location is not militarily efficient, emphasizing that troops must remain capable of relocating and undertaking other missions at any time. A military source interpreted this as a call for South Korea to more actively support greater “strategic flexibility” in redeploying U.S. forces to defend Taiwan or counter China.

On alliance modernization, the USFK commander said South Korea is expected to bolster its response to North Korea, enabling the alliance to maintain strategic flexibility for other missions. He described North Korea as “the crocodile right next to the boat” and warned that China’s activities in the West Sea closely resemble its past actions in the South China Sea, stressing the importance of countering Beijing’s moves.

Separately, The Washington Post reported on Sunday, citing U.S. government documents, that the Donald Trump administration considered demanding South Korea publicly support changes to U.S. troop deployment and endorse expanded strategic flexibility to counter China during bilateral tariff talks. The administration also weighed pressing South Korea to raise defense spending from 2.6 percent to 3.8 percent of GDP and increase its share of the cost of U.S. Forces Korea.


Sang-Ho Yun ysh1005@donga.com