The U.S. Army's planned troop reduction, driven by budget constraints, could send a wrong signal to North Korea and lead the provocative communist nation to make miscalculations, the Army chief has warned.
Earlier this month, the U.S. Army announced force structure decisions and stationing plans that call for a reduction of the regular Army from 490,000 to 450,000 soldiers in fiscal years 2016 and 2017. The reduction of 40,000 will be completed by the end of fiscal year 2018.
The Army further warned that unless the budget constraints, known as "sequestration," are addressed, the next round of troop cuts will leave the Army with only 420,000 soldiers by the end of fiscal year 2019 and could affect troop levels in South Korea.
"I worry that some people might perceive that our ability to respond could be degraded, which would embolden them to do things," Gen. Ray Odierno, the Army chief of staff, told reporters Friday ahead of his retirement next month.
"If we send the wrong message, we could have miscalculations. (Russian President Vladimir) Putin could miscalculate. North Korea could miscalculate. I think we just have to be careful," he said.
Currently, about 28,500 American troops are stationed in South Korea to help deter threats from North Korea, a legacy of the 1950-53 Korean War that ended in a truce, not a peace treaty, which left the divided peninsula still technically at war.
Odierno also voiced concern about Russia, a country that the incoming U.S. military chief, Marine Gen. Joseph Dunford, characterized as the No. 1 threat to the U.S. while also singling out China, North Korea and the militant group Islamic State as major threats.
"I will say they are a significant threat that we have to pay attention to," Odierno said. "If you look and read what's being said in Russia, they believe the Cold War didn't end the right way.
The rhetoric is concerning. I think we have to say what they are saying and doing seriously. We should not ever underplay it." (Yonhap)
