[Asia Economy Reporter Yujin Cho] The U.S. House of Representatives has passed next year's security and defense budget bill amounting to 1,132 trillion won, a 10% increase compared to last year. The bill also includes language reaffirming the U.S.-South Korea Mutual Defense Treaty, which calls for maintaining the current size of U.S. forces stationed in South Korea and providing extended deterrence to South Korea.
On the 8th (local time), the House passed the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for fiscal year 2023, which includes the security and defense budget, according to the Wall Street Journal (WSJ).
The House approved the NDAA for next year, totaling $857.9 billion (approximately 1,132 trillion won), with 350 votes in favor and 80 against, and sent it to the Senate. This represents about a 10% increase from last year's budget of $778 billion. The bill is expected to complete Senate voting next week and then await President Joe Biden's signature.
The bill contains language reaffirming the commitment to maintain the current size of U.S. forces stationed in South Korea and to provide extended deterrence to South Korea by mobilizing all U.S. defense capabilities under the U.S.-South Korea Mutual Defense Treaty. However, foreign media reported that an amendment proposed by Republican Representative Joe Wilson, which called for specifying the U.S. extended deterrence implementation plan for South Korea, was not included.
The bill specifies that the scope of installing emergency escape routes in the Tango command post, a U.S. military bunker in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, can be expanded to prepare for fires. Regarding the construction of a drone hangar at the U.S. Air Force base in Gunsan, Jeonbuk Province, it states that the hangar may also be built at Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek.
Additionally, the bill requires the Secretary of Defense to submit a report to the Congressional Defense Committees within 270 days of the NDAA enactment detailing the nuclear capabilities of Russia, China, and North Korea, as well as strategies to deter them, in relation to sea-launched nuclear cruise missiles (SLCM-N).
Regarding the Taiwan issue, the bill includes provisions to provide up to $10 billion over five years starting next year in loan form, with a maximum of $2 billion annually, to be used for purchasing U.S.-made weapons in preparation for a potential Chinese military invasion. The U.S. estimates that China could attempt a military invasion of Taiwan as early as 2027.
To counter China's economic coercion, the bill mandates the establishment of a separate task force (TF) led by the White House National Security Council (NSC) and the appointment of a coordinator. It also explicitly states that China is no longer considered a developing country and prohibits the use of Chinese-made semiconductors in products supplied to the U.S. government, with enforcement starting five years after the law takes effect.
Representative Ruben Gallego (Arizona) said, "This bill contains extensive provisions to respond to the challenges posed by China and Russia," adding, "It also includes billions of dollars in funding to strengthen the relationship between the U.S. and European allies in response to the China-Russia challenge."
Meanwhile, the bill includes provisions to repeal the U.S. military's COVID-19 vaccine mandate, which the White House and Department of Defense strongly oppose. If the bill passes the Senate in its current form, attention will focus on whether President Biden will exercise his veto power.
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