U.S. Considering More Troop Cuts

It has all the outward signs of a classic Washington leak:

The U.S. Forces Korea are reportedly mulling additional troop cuts after Seoul announced it will trim its own forces down from 680,000 to 500,000 by the year 2020. “When the government announced its plans to cut 180,000 men from the armed forces, the USFK internally started to acknowledge the need for cuts as well,” a high-ranking government source said Monday. The source said there were some among USFK brass who wonder whether there is any point maintaining the substantial American contingent here to deter the North Korean threat even as South Korea is slimming down its forces.

It was the fact that the South Koreans announced their own troop cuts without consulting the U.S. side that inspired the most recent reaction in the Pentagon.

Some in the U.S. military are said to be concerned that Korea’s own troop reductions could leave the Pentagon without a case to argue in the event the U.S. Congress demands additional withdrawal of troops from Korea.