Former Pentagon Official Calls for Expanded USFK Strategic Flexibility

By Kim Hyun-soo

SEOUL, June 23 (Yonhap) -- A former Pentagon official said Tuesday that expanded "strategic flexibility" of the U.S. troops stationed in South Korea would strengthen deterrence and help create a more stable security environment in the Indo-Pacific, calling for the Seoul-Washington alliance to move in that direction with "a sense of urgency."

Randall Schriver, former U.S. assistant secretary of defense for Indo-Pacific security affairs, made the remarks at a forum, referring to the concept of using the 28,500-strong U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) in operations beyond the Korean Peninsula to address China-related contingencies.

It is seen as a shift from the USFK's primary focus on deterring North Korea.

"We can imagine what an alliance effort on technology cooperation, promotion might look like when we think about the opportunities for (an) agreement on strategic flexibility for the U.S. forces and what that might mean for the ability to contribute to a more stable Indo-Pacific environment, buttressed by greater force flexibility to uphold deterrence," Schriver said during a forum hosted by the Korea Institute for Defense Analyses.

Schriver noted the recent advancements in the South Korea-U.S. alliance, such as cooperation in shipbuilding and Seoul's nuclear-powered submarine project, as encouraging developments that are "on the right track."

"All of these things are very encouraging, and I think we're essentially on the right track," he said. "I want to encourage us to stay on that right track and maybe move with some sense of urgency because I think it's terrifically important,"

Under a 2006 joint statement concerning strategic flexibility, Seoul agreed to respect the "necessity" for U.S. strategic flexibility, while Washington agreed to respect Seoul's position that it will not be involved in a regional conflict against the will of the Korean people.

South Korea has largely maintained a cautious approach toward the potential readjustment of the USFK's operational scope over concerns it could undermine deterrence against North Korea and given its relations with China.