USFK commander dismisses rumors of US military withdrawal from Korean Peninsula

Posted on : 2020-07-02 17:19 KST Modified on : 2020-07-02 17:27 KST
Gen. Robert Abrams speaks during ROK-US Alliance Forum
Gen. Robert Abrams, commander of US Forces Korea, greets South Korean Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo at the ROK-US Alliance Forum on June 1. (provided by the Ministry of National Defense)
Gen. Robert Abrams, commander of US Forces Korea, greets South Korean Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo at the ROK-US Alliance Forum on June 1. (provided by the Ministry of National Defense)

Gen. Robert Abrams, commander of US Forces Korea (USFK) and the Combined Forces Command (CFC), dismissed claims recently made in some quarters that American troops might be removed from the Korean Peninsula as being completely groundless.

During a speech at the ROK-US Alliance Forum, held on Wednesday, Abrams was asked to address concerns that American troops might be withdrawn from the Korean Peninsula, considering that 9,500 American soldiers are being removed from Germany.

Abrams said that such concerns were completely baseless, remarking that the US was still committed to its alliance with South Korea and that its ties with the South were based on shared values and forged in the ravages of war. The general added that Americans were still committed to their responsibilities and to the defense of South Korea.

Recent reports in the international press about the US moving to pare down its troop presence in Germany have prompted some commentators in South Korea to speculate that the USFK might be reduced as well. In particular, they say that US President Donald Trump might use the threat of a troop reduction to pressure Seoul into shouldering more of the shared cost of defense. Abrams’ remarks on Wednesday are taken as a denial of such speculation.

In regard to the US returning wartime operational control (OPCON) of South Korean troops, Abrams said that “the United States is firmly committed to the successful execution of this alliance plan that will ultimately result in a Republic of Korea four-star [general] leading the Combined Forces Command.”

Abrams said that considerable progress has been made on the OPCON handover, explaining that more had OPCON assessment had been done in the single year of 2019 than in the preceding three years. He said that the two countries had agreed to a strategic document that clarifies and defines the relationship between the South Korean and American command structures, representing a critical milestone in the OPCON handover process. But Abrams explained that more needs to be done before the conditions of the OPCON handover can be completely satisfied, adding that he was confident that the South Koreans were making ample preparations to satisfy those conditions.

Abrams mentioned the importance of a multifaceted system for ballistic missile defense, including Patriot missiles, THAAD, and Aegis-equipped ships for countering the threat of North Korea’s nuclear weapons and missiles. He emphasized the crucial importance of integrating all current assets given North Korea’s evolving and diversifying missile threat. Abrams also stressed that theater-level joint exercises were essential for South Korea and the US to maintain defense readiness. Theater-level exercises refer to large-scale exercises that cover the entire operational scope of the Korean Peninsula.

Organized by the Korea-US Alliance Foundation (chaired by Jung Seung-jo, former chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff), the ROK-US Alliance Forum brings together notable figures from Korea and overseas.

By Park Byong-su, senior staff writer

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