House defense bill draft bans cutting US troop levels in South Korea

The House Armed Services Committee released a draft 2027 defense bill Wednesday containing tightened language that would bar the use of federal funds from any appropriations source from reducing U.S. troop numbers in South Korea below 28,500, The Korea Times reported.

The expanded prohibition — covering all federal appropriations for fiscal years 2026 and 2027, not only NDAA funds — signals congressional pushback against any potential Trump administration drawdown of the 28,500-strong U.S. force on the Korean Peninsula, a question of direct concern to Southern California's large Korean-American community.

The House Armed Services Committee, chaired by Rep. Mike Rogers, Republican of Alabama, released the draft National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2027 on Wednesday, according to The Korea Times. The bill sets defense policy, troop authorizations and funding priorities for the fiscal year running from October 2026 through September 2027.

The revised bill language bars the use of federal funds "otherwise made available for fiscal years 2026 or 2027" from being spent to reduce U.S. military personnel in South Korea below the current authorized level of 28,500, The Korea Times reported. Earlier versions of the annual defense bill restricted only funds appropriated directly by the NDAA; the updated language closes that potential gap by extending the prohibition to all federal funding streams.

Alongside the South Korea provision, the committee expressed "great concern" over recent Pentagon moves in Europe, The Korea Times reported. The Defense Department has announced the withdrawal of approximately 5,000 American troops from Germany and has delayed the planned rotation of roughly 4,000 soldiers to Poland.

The legislation comes amid concerns that the Trump administration could consider reducing forces in South Korea as part of broader military posture adjustments aimed at countering China or addressing other security priorities, according to The Korea Times.

The bill must clear a full House floor vote and then be reconciled with a Senate version before it can be sent to President Trump for signature. Congress has passed a version of the NDAA annually for decades, using the legislation to govern the year's defense policy and overseas deployments.

The bill's fate will be closely watched by Korean Americans throughout Southern California, many of whom have family ties to South Korea and regard U.S. troop commitments on the Peninsula as a matter of personal as well as political consequence.