No Budget for Reducing U.S. Forces Korea
OPCON Transfer Restricted to Agreed Plan Only
The final version of next year's U.S. defense budget bill, approved by Congress, includes a provision requiring that the current level of U.S. Forces Korea be maintained.
The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for fiscal year 2026, released by the U.S. Congress on December 7 (local time), states that funds may not be used to reduce the number of permanently stationed or deployed U.S. troops in South Korea to below 28,500. It also specifies that funds may not be used to complete the transfer of wartime operational control (OPCON) of the ROK-U.S. Combined Forces Command in any manner that deviates from the plan agreed upon by both sides.
However, the bill includes a clause stating that this restriction may be lifted 60 days after the relevant standing committee receives a report confirming that the action is in the national security interest and that sufficient consultation has taken place with allies, including South Korea, Japan, and United Nations Command contributing countries.
The National Defense Authorization Act is an annual bill that approves the U.S. Department of Defense budget and major policies. The provision regarding U.S. Forces Korea was included in the final version after passing the House in September and the Senate in October, followed by a reconciliation process between the two chambers.
The provision prohibiting the use of funds to reduce U.S. Forces Korea has been reinstated after five years. This regulation was in effect for three years starting in fiscal year 2019, during the first Trump administration, serving as a check against unilateral reductions. However, it was removed during the Biden administration.
Including these provisions, the NDAA for fiscal year 2026, as agreed upon by the House and Senate, allocates a total defense budget of $901 billion (approximately 1,323 trillion won). This is an increase of $8 billion (about 11.7 trillion won) compared to the budget requested by the Trump administration.
This year's National Defense Authorization Act also contains a provision prohibiting the reduction of U.S. troops stationed in Europe. The bill forbids cutting the number of permanently stationed or deployed troops in Europe to below 76,000 for more than 45 days.
The U.S. Congress plans to process the bill by the end of the year and send it to President Trump.
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