U.S. Senate and House of Representatives unveil a single bill for the 2024 National Defense Authorization Act
Strengthening alliance with Korea for strategic competition with China
Decided to evaluate South Korea’s capabilities related to wartime operational control transfer
The U.S. Congress has drawn up a single bill for the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that will continue to maintain the size of U.S. forces in Korea and solidify the promise of extended deterrence against South Korea. The National Defense Authorization Act contains the direction of U.S. defense policy for next year.
The U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee and the House Armed Services Committee released a single bill for the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2024 containing the following contents on the 7th (local time).
The U.S. National Defense Authorization Act is adopted by Congress and contains the defense budget and policy direction for each fiscal year. Last July, the Senate and the House of Representatives passed different national defense authorization bills, and after consultation, a single bill was arrived at this time.
The single plan stated that an alliance would be established to gain an upper hand in strategic competition with China in the Indo-Pacific region.
First, he mentioned strengthening relations with Japan, and second, he mentioned alliance with Korea.
The plan is to strengthen the alliance by maintaining approximately 28,500 Korean troops and confirming the promise of expanded deterrence by mobilizing all of the United States’ defense capabilities.
In particular, with regard to extended deterrence, it was specified that there should be “deeper coordination on nuclear deterrence, which was emphasized in the Washington Declaration during the state visit of President Yoon Seok-yeol and President Joe Biden on April 26.”
The single bill also includes provisions requiring the U.S. government to report to Congress on matters related to the transfer of wartime operational control to Korea within 180 days of passage of the bill.
The report stipulated that there should be criteria for under what circumstances the Korean military can seize wartime operational control and an evaluation of whether the Korean military satisfies those conditions at that point in time. In addition, related plans were required to be reported to the National Assembly 45 days prior to transfer.
Next year’s defense budget is set at $886 billion (about 1,167 trillion won), an increase of about 3% compared to the previous year ($858 billion).
Most of the controversial provisions contained in the House bill appear to have not been reflected.
These include provisions that disallow leave and subsidy for hospital expenses paid to pregnant female soldiers when they want to have an abortion, and provisions that exclude transgender soldiers from defense health insurance coverage when they undergo related surgery or undergo hormone treatment.
The House Armed Services Committee said on this day, “The United States faces unprecedented threats from China, Iran, Russia, and North Korea,” and added, “It is important to act now to protect national security.”
In addition, he added, “We urge Congress to quickly pass the National Defense Authorization Act and for President Biden to sign it.”
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Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.