WASHINGTON (Yonhap) -- The head of the U.S. Pacific Command said Friday that there will be no "significant" change in the scale and role of American troops in Korea despite the Pentagon's plan to cut budgets and slash the number of ground troops.
Adm. Robert Willard, however, left open the possibility for some adjustment, based on annual consultations between the allies, given regional security conditions.
The agreement to station roughly 30,000 soldiers in Korea is generally to face North Korea but also "with an understanding that those troops are there with the region in mind," he told reporters at a press conference organized by the Washington Foreign Press Center.
"I don't anticipate that there will be changes that are significant associated with this strategic rollout," he said. "But the dialogue between the United States and Seoul -- that has always been ongoing."
The yearly discussions are to ensure that the U.S. has "the number of troops there and the conditions under which they're being employed correct," he added.
On Thursday, the U.S. Defense Department announced a plan to reduce its troops by 100,000 by 2017 in a bid to chip away at the country's budget deficit.
Regarding North Korea, the commander in charge of U.S. forces in the Asia-Pacific region said his military is closely monitoring whether its power transition is going smoothly after the abrupt death of Kim Jong-il in December.
The North declared Kim's third son, Jong-un, as its next leader. He is reportedly in his late 20s.
"This young man that has assumed power, Kim Jong-un, is relatively untested and has a lot to face in terms of governance of North Korea, with all of the challenges attendant to it, and what has been a rather coercive approach to the region and the world by his father," the admiral said.
He said North Korea has entered into its winter training cycle and a U.S. plan to stage large-scale joint military drills starting late next month is also in accordance with an annual schedule.
"So right now, I think the world is watching North Korea and with anticipation as they begin to reveal whether the strategies of Kim Jong-il will continue or not," he said.
On a broader role of the U.S. military in Asia, the commander said it wants to expand military presence in Southeast Asia but does not seek permanent bases in the region.
He was responding to reports that the U.S. and the Philippines will step up military cooperation, which media view as apparently intended to counter China. China has long been locked in territorial disputes with Southeast Asian nations.
"We would welcome discussions with the Philippines along those lines, but there's no aspiration for bases in Southeast Asia," he said.
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美태평양사령관 '주한미군 큰 역할변화 없을것'
美태평양사령관 '주한미군 큰 역할변화 없을것'
(워싱턴=연합뉴스) 이승관 이치동 특파원 = 로버트 윌러드 미국 태평양군 사령관은 27일(현지시간) "주한미군의 전략적 역할에 큰 변화가 있을 것이라고 생각하지 않는다"고 말했다.
윌러드 사령관은 이날 워싱턴DC 외신기자클럽에서 가진 브리핑에서 국방예산 감축에 따른 주한미군의 운용 변화 가능성 등과 관련한 연합뉴스의 질문에 이같이 강조했다.
이는 리언 패네타 국방장관이 지난 26일 펜타곤에서 기자회견을 통해 국방예산 감축 및 육군병력 감축을 발표하면서 "육군은 한반도를 포함한 태평양 지역에서 의미있는 병력태세를 유지할 것"이라고 밝힌 것과 같은 맥락으로 해석된다.
윌러드 사령관은 다만 "한국과 대화를 계속하고 있으며, 앞으로 안보환경 등을 고려해 (주한미군의) 숫자와 운용 등에 대해 필요하다면 그에 적절한 조치를 할 것"이라며 여지를 남겼다.
그는 또 주한미군 병력수에 언급, "오랜 기간 한미간 논의와 대화의 주제로, 약 3만명 수준에 합의돼 있다"면서 "이는 전반적으로는 북한과의 대치상황을 고려한 것이지만 지역적인 수요도 감안한 것"이라고 설명했다.
이밖에 윌러드 사령관은 지난달 김정일 국방위원장 사망에 따른 북한 권력승계에 대해 "(후계자인) 김정은 중앙군사위 부위원장이 젊고 검증되지 않았기 때문에 면밀히 주시하고 있다"고 덧붙였다.
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데이트부터 청소부터… 시급남편까지
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