North KoreaÂ’s missile launches come at a time when the number of U.S. troops in South Korea and other nearby Asian nations is declining and the Pentagon has been focusing more on a potential threat from China.
As part of a worldwide realignment of American forces, the Pentagon is drawing down troops at some decades-old installations in Asia, and the regionÂ’s allies are taking more responsibility for their own defense. This has been accompanied by burgeoning U.S. naval strength in the Pacific.
Pentagon figures show just under 30,000 U.S. troops in South Korea, compared with 37,000 two years ago, with some troops being deployed instead to Iraq. In its biggest reorganization in two decades, the U.S. plans to bring down the number further to some 25,000 by 2008.
Even so, North Korea says its missile program is partly for self-defense against an American threat.
“The irony here is that a fair amount of what (North Korea) used to complain about — the militarization of the Korean Peninsula — is being reduced,” said analyst Dan Goure of the Lexington Institute think tank in Arlington, Va.
As for U.S. military strength in eastern Asia, the plan is to break down large Cold War-era bases around the world, bring tens of thousands of uniformed personnel back to the United States and move some troops closer to potential hot spots so they can more quickly respond to conflicts.
At the same time, saying it has an eye on surges in ChinaÂ’s defense spending, the Pentagon is trying to strengthen its Asia-Pacific force.
The U.S. troop reduction in South Korea, where the U.S. has had a military presence since the Korean War, doesnÂ’t necessarily mean decreased military capabilities in the region.
“Part of the drawdown that you are seeing in Korea is because of South Korea’s eagerness and willingness to assume more responsibility for their own security, which is a good thing,” Pentagon press secretary Eric Ruff said.
Similar restructuring is afoot in Japan, where the most recent Defense Department statistics show about 40,000 U.S. troops are stationed, including more than 15,000 Marines and more than 13,000 airmen. It also is home port for the NavyÂ’s 7th Fleet. |