Seoul: The geopolitically-charged issue of the 28,500-strong U.S. Forces Korea (USFK)’s “strategic flexibility” is reemerging as the Pentagon crafts a new defense strategy prioritizing deterrence against Chinese threats and increasing allies’ “burden sharing.”
According to Yonhap News Agency, the issue has gained renewed attention amid speculation that President Donald Trump’s administration might align USFK troops and other U.S. military assets in the Indo-Pacific with his “America First” policy priorities to contain China and manage potential contingencies. Greater strategic flexibility would involve using U.S. troops in South Korea for a wider range of expeditionary operations, including regional contingencies, moving beyond their traditional focus on deterring North Korean threats.
Analysts suggest that from the United States’ perspective, strategic flexibility might be necessary to rebalance military assets to optimize deterrence against China, especially given Beijing’s military buildup and its collaboration with North Korea and Russia. For South Korea, this issue highlights the geopolitical realities marked by a contentious Sino-U.S. rivalry and raises questions about ensuring America’s unwavering security commitment to its Asian ally.
Nam Chang-hee, a professor of international relations at South Korea’s Inha University, explained to Yonhap News Agency that with the Sino-U.S. relationship edging toward confrontation, the U.S. might explicitly seek to enhance strategic flexibility for USFK forces. He noted that while the U.S. may want South Korea to take charge of defending the Korean Peninsula, it does not imply abandoning its nuclear umbrella protection for South Korea.
Patrick Cronin, chair for Asia-Pacific security at the Hudson Institute, described strategic flexibility as a “necessary planning requirement,” driven by increased regional and global security risks. He emphasized that the U.S. president, as commander-in-chief, retains the ability to deploy military forces to meet national interests, while the South Korean president controls ROK military troops, except for those under Combined Forces Command (CFC) control.
Under Secretary of Defense Elbridge Colby is leading efforts to draft the Pentagon’s new National Defense Strategy, which focuses on countering Chinese threats. During a past interview, Colby emphasized adjusting USFK’s role to prioritize China over North Korea.
The concept of strategic flexibility was agreed upon by Seoul and Washington in 2006. The bilateral understanding allowed USFK troop realignment, enabling deployment outside the peninsula for regional or global security missions. However, this effort faced hurdles, including North Korea’s advancing threats and concerns over potential South Korean entanglement in conflicts as a treaty ally.
Recently, USFK demonstrated strategic flexibility by deploying Patriot missile defense batteries to the Middle East, highlighting its practical application. Bruce Bennett, a senior defense analyst at RAND Corp., argued that strategic flexibility might reduce planning for North Korea but is essential for addressing Chinese threats, a growing concern for South Korea.
Bennett indicated that if the Trump administration seeks increased USFK flexibility, it might pressure South Korea to raise its defense budget to enhance security and meet other challenges. Analysts foresee the resurfacing USFK flexibility issue as a key topic for the new South Korean government following the presidential election.
Kim Tae-hyung, president of the Korean Association of International Studies, suggested that Trump might use the strategic flexibility topic to increase pressure on South Korea to raise its share of the cost for stationing USFK.