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Gen. Robert Abrams

During an appearance at a hearing of the US Senate Armed Services Committee on Feb. 12, Gen. Robert Abrams, head commander of US Forces Korea (USFK) and Combined Forces Command, emphasized the need for US troops to remained stationed on the Korean Peninsula.

When Sen. Jack Reed (D) asked about the possibility of US President Donald Trump reducing the US troop presence in Korea, Abrams said that the current level of readiness is appropriate for providing an adequate deterrent against North Korea. Furthermore, the general said, US Forces Korea help stabilize Northeast Asia and provide not only South Korea but also Japan and other partners in the region with a defensive bulwark against China’s expansion. In short, Abrams said, having American troops on the Korean Peninsula helps with several goals.

When asked whether the US troop presence would be necessary if the threat of North Korea’s conventional forces was not reduced even after the reduction or elimination of its nuclear program, Abrams said that troops would be necessary until all the parties concerned had signed a peace treaty.

Abrams said that North Korea remained a threat even though the recent “reduction in tensions on the peninsula is palpable.” Noting that 440 days had passed since North Korea had tested a nuclear weapon or a missile, Abrams said that he personally regarded the announcement of the second North Korea-US summit as a “positive sign of continued dialogue.”

Even so, Abrams said, he hasn’t’ seen North Korea take any actions that would imply an effort to fully denuclearize. In his view, there have been hardly any verifiable changes in North Korea’s military capability.

“Since the end of 2017, Pyongyang has reduced its hostile rhetoric and halted media coverage of [Kim Jong-un] attending [military events]. It is, however, too soon to conclude that a lower profile is indicative of lesser risk,” Abrams said.

Abrams also commented on South Korea and the US’ joint military exercises: “We must continuously strike a balance between the clear need to train and exercise military capability and the requirement to create space for and support strategic diplomacy.”

While admitting that some exercises had been canceled, Abrams emphasized that the US continues to carry out joint exercises with South Korea. In other words, the US can adjust the scale and timing of certain joint exercises depending on the status of dialogue with North Korea, but the exercises will go on.

By Hwang Joon-bum, Washington correspondent

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