US force levels in Korea will be reduced under proposed command arrangements that would move the US military from the lead to a supporting role in the defense of South Korea in time of war, a senior US defense official said Monday.
The new plan is still being finalized but the two countries hope to reach agreement by late October, said the official, who briefed reporters on condition of anonymity.
The official said the troop reductions would involve headquarters and support elements, and would not result in a cut in US combat capabilities on the Korean peninsula, which he said would be increased.
"As the adjustments take place there will be a reduction in the number of US forces located in the Republic of Korea beyond the level of 25,000 we've currently agreed to," said the official, who briefed reporters on condition of anonymity.
"Will it be a substantial reduction? I do not believe so," he said, adding that details would be worked out over the next few months.
The official said the United States and Seoul expect to have agreement on the change in command structure when the US and South Korean defense ministers meet in Washington for annual security talks at the end of October.
"What the Republic of Korea has suggested is it would like to be able to retain wartime operational control over its forces," he said. "We think this is a reasonable request. We think it is a request whose time has come."
The proposals call for scrapping the current command arrangement under which a US general would take charge of a combined US-South Korean force if war broke out on the divided peninsula.
Instead, the South Korean military would assume primary responsibility for defending the country in time of war, and US forces would play a supporting role, the official said.
US troops would not come under South Korean operational control but would fall under a parallel US command, the official said.
How soon the changes could go into effect is still under discussion, he said. The South Koreans have said 2012 but the Americans believe it could be accomplished as early as 2009, he said.
