Overview

• Defense Priorities recommends cutting USFK from 28,500 to about 10,000 by removing most ground combat units and redeploying two fighter squadrons and support personnel.
• Report authors argue that South Korea’s refusal to grant unrestricted contingency access risks sidelining U.S. forces in the event of a regional conflict.
• The proposal calls for refocusing U.S. deployments in East Asia on deterring China and shifting frontline defense duties to allies such as Japan and the Philippines.
• Jennifer Kavanagh and Dan Caldwell wrote the report, which is circulating among Trump administration and Defense Department officials as part of the upcoming strategy review.
• The Pentagon dismissed the report’s recommendations as “not true” and reaffirmed that the United States remains fully committed to South Korea’s defense.