U.S. Senate Also Passes Defense Authorization Act to Maintain Current Level of USFK

Ahead of the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump in January next year, the Fiscal Year 2025 (October 2024 to September 2025) National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which specifies maintaining the size of the U.S. Forces Korea, passed the Senate on the 18th (local time).

The U.S. Senate approved the NDAA with 85 votes in favor and 14 against, totaling $895.2 billion (approximately 1,285 trillion KRW). The bill includes provisions related to Korea, such as maintaining the U.S. Forces Korea at the current level of 28,500 troops, strengthening the mutual defense industrial base, and reaffirming the extended deterrence commitment. It also requires the Department of Defense to report on plans to strengthen the U.S. extended deterrence commitment to Korea and on ways to advance trilateral defense cooperation among Korea, the U.S., and Japan.

Previously, during Trump’s first term from fiscal years 2019 to 2021, the NDAA specified the size of U.S. Forces Korea and prohibited the use of related funds if the troop level was reduced below that number. However, with the approach of Trump’s second term, the clause restricting the reduction of U.S. Forces Korea was removed, leaving some uncertainty. In an interview with Time magazine at the end of April, President-elect Trump hinted at the possibility of withdrawing U.S. troops from Korea while requesting an increase in Korea’s defense cost-sharing. Although the current NDAA maintains the U.S. Forces Korea at the existing level, it does not have legal binding force for Trump’s second term administration.

The NDAA is a law that proposes budget levels and projects related to the U.S. defense budget. The House and Senate each pass their versions of the NDAA and then reconcile them into a single bill. The House passed the unified bill on the 11th. With the Senate’s approval completed on this day, only President Joe Biden’s signature remains. The NDAA budget for fiscal year 2025 increased by about 1% compared to the previous year.