Hegseth says THAAD redeployment was preplanned

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Tuesday that the partial transfer of Terminal High Altitude Area Defense, or THAAD, assets from South Korea to the Middle East after the outbreak of war between the United States and Iran had been planned in advance. His comments indicated the redeployment was not a last-minute response to potential Iranian retaliation, but part of broader operational preparations made before the conflict intensified.

Appearing before the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, Hegseth was asked by Democratic Sen. Brian Schatz whether the movement of THAAD and Patriot missile defense assets from South Korea to the Middle East after the war began had been arranged beforehand.

“Everything was fully thought through before it was carried out,” Hegseth said. He added that the move was part of efforts to achieve the “very clear objective” of preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. “The Joint Chiefs and civilian leadership reviewed every aspect carefully,” he said.

Schatz questioned that explanation, arguing that retaliatory strikes by Iran against countries in the region were entirely foreseeable and asking why Washington appeared to move belatedly after the conflict had already begun, including by relocating THAAD assets from South Korea.

Hegseth pushed back, saying he was “very confident” the United States had taken every available measure to prepare for the conflict.

Last month, Xavier Brunson, commander of United States Forces Korea, told the Senate Armed Services Committee that THAAD systems remained deployed in South Korea, while also noting that ammunition was being shipped and readied for transport.

His remarks fueled speculation that major THAAD components, including launchers, had remained on the Korean Peninsula while interceptor missiles and related munitions were sent to the Middle East.


안규영기자 kyu0@donga.com