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A congressional report suggests that the South Korean government should be asked to pay part of the cost needed to increase the American military presence on the US territory of Guam.

A report titled “Guam: U.S. Defense Deployments,” published recently by the Congressional Research Service, noted that the Obama administration’s policy of the rebalance to Asia has raised Guam’s profile to “strategic hub” for US forward deployments and that expanding the military facilities there would consume a vast amount of money. “There could be an option for South Korea to contribute to the cost related to the buildup of defense in Guam,” the report said.

The justification the report offered for asking South Korea to provide part of the cost is that the military buildup on Guam would be part of a response to the nuclear and missile threats posed by North Korea.

“Some officials have tied the buildup to North Korea’s threat. Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for East Asia Michael Schiffer testified to Congress in March 2010 that the implementation of the 2006 Realignment Roadmap would help meet shared security challenges, including the threat posed by North Korea,” the report said.

In particular, the report pointed out that the US sent B-52 strategic bombers from Anderson Air Force Base on Guam on a flight over the Korean peninsula as a show of force immediately after North Korea’s third nuclear test in Feb. 2013. It also mentioned that THAAD (Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense) missile defense system had been deployed on Guam in response to the North Korean threat.

The report did not mention any specific measures or amounts related to South Korea’s share of the cost. However, it did mention that in 2006, when Japan signed a plan to relocate American marines stationed in Okinawa to Guam, it agreed to shoulder 60% of the cost of their move.

Since the 2000s, the US has been expanding the military base and infrastructure on Guam, treating it as a forward deployment hub for the US military in the Asia-Pacific region. According to estimates by the US Pacific Command (PACOM), developing the Guam base will cost US$15 billion.

The Congressional Research Service also published a report containing similar information in June.

The Congressional Research Service prepares policy reports in order to help the legislative activity of members of congress, and the reports are considered to reflect trends in Congress and the White House.

This report echoes the mood in Washington that South Korea and other allied and friendly countries ought to contribute more of the cost for defense, considering budget constraints that require the US to reduce its military spending by US$500 billion over the next 10 years.

By Park Hyun, Washington correspondent

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