House version of NDAA further limits US troop reductions in South Korea

The $1.15 trillion defense policy bill passed by the House last week places further restrictions on the use of federal funds to reduce the number of U.S. service members stationed on the Korean Peninsula.

The House on July 22 approved its version of the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2027, which authorizes appropriations for the Pentagon, military construction and defense-related Department of Energy activities. The measure squeaked by, 216 to 212.

The bill’s provision on U.S. military posture in South Korea amends language from the current fiscal year’s version to further limit the use of federal funds to reduce the U.S. military presence on the peninsula.

A U.S. soldier surveys the Rodriguez Live Fire Complex from a Bradley fighting vehicle during joint training with South Korean troops, June 25, 2025. (Trevares Johnson/Stars and Stripes)

According to the current NDAA, “amounts authorized to be appropriated by this Act may not be obligated or expended” for that purpose. 

However, the House version for the coming fiscal year states that none of the funds “authorized to be appropriated … or otherwise made available for fiscal years 2026 or 2027” may be obligated or spent to reduce troop levels.

Although the change would prevent the government from using federal money to cut the number of troops in South Korea, those restrictions would expire 60 days after the Pentagon certifies to Congress that a reduction is in the national interest. 

The House proposal also restricts the Pentagon from using federal funds to complete the transfer of wartime operational control of allied military forces on the peninsula from Washington to Seoul. 

The bill now moves to the Senate, which has its own version of the act. The House and Senate must agree on a final version of the bill before it can be sent to President Donald Trump. 

The amendment comes amid questions about the Trump administration’s plans for U.S. military posture in South Korea, including its calls for Seoul to contribute more toward the cost of stationing troops on the peninsula.

The White House, however, has not publicly announced plans to reduce troop levels. 

The Wall Street Journal reported on May 23, 2025, that the administration was considering redeploying 4,500 troops from South Korea to other Pacific locations, citing two unnamed U.S. military officials, but Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell denied the claim. 

The bill’s provision on maintaining South Korea’s troop levels at 28,500 is part of its broader focus on strengthening U.S. alliances in the Pacific and maintaining an advantage over China. 

Although the Senate’s version also restricts the use of funds to reduce U.S. troop levels in South Korea, it does not include the House’s broader language covering other federal money. 

Rather, the Senate version states that the amounts “authorized to be appropriated by this Act” may not be obligated or expended to reduce the U.S. armed forces permanently stationed or deployed to South Korea.