[Peace-discuss] 2019 NDAA, including Duckworth-Murphy provision blocking removal of US troops from S. Korea

[Stuart Levy]

A few weeks ago Bob Naiman had posted on another list about an NDAA
amendment - from our Sen. Tammy Duckworth and from Chris Murphy of CT -
that blocked removal of US troops from South Korea.

We were talking about this at AWARE today.   Checking to see what had
happened with it, it appears that it passed and is included in the NDAA
which is under reconciliation between House and Senate.

Not very good news.

Here's the full text of the House NDAA as passed:

    
https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/house-bill/5515/text?format=xml

This looks to be the relevant section.   It ends by saying that removing
US troops from S. Korea can't be part of the negotiations for
demilitarizing N. Korea.

====
//

/SEC. //1249.//Sense of Senate on United States military forces on the
Korean Peninsula/.

(a) /Findings/.—/The Senate makes the following findings:/

(1) /On June 25, 1950, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK),
under the rule of Kim Il-sung, the grandfather of Kim Jong-un, launched
a surprise attack against forces from the Republic of Korea (South
Korea) and small contingent of United States forces, thus beginning the
Korean War./

(2) /In June and July of 1950, the United Nations Security Council
adopted Resolutions 82, 83, and 84 calling for the Democratic People's
Republic of Korea to cease hostilities and withdraw, to recommend that
United Nations member nations provide forces to repel the Democratic
People's Republic of Korea attack, and stating any forces provided
should be unified under the command of the United States, respectively./

(3) /Fighting as part of a 1,000,000-strong, 22-nation United Nations
force, 36,574 members of the United States Armed Forces and 137,899
members of the South Korean military lost their lives during the three
years of armed hostilities and brutal conflict in the Korean War./

(4) /On July 27, 1953, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea,
Chinese People's Volunteers, and the United Nations signed an armistice
agreement ceasing all hostilities in Korea and establishing the
Demilitarized Zone (DMZ)./

(5) /Since 1953, lawfully-deployed United States and United Nations
forces have remained alongside their South Korean counterparts,
continuing to protect and defend South Korea and deter aggression from
the Democratic People's Republic of Korea./

(6) /As a lasting testament the blood and treasure lost during the
Korean War and the strong and unwavering alliance built from the ashes
of the conflict, the Korean War Memorial in Washington, District of
Columbia, and the War Memorial of Korea in Seoul, South Korea,
prominently display the following inscription: /“/Our Nation honors her
Sons and Daughters who answered the call to defend a Country they never
knew and a people they never met./”/./

(7) /The United States maintains a robust, well-trained, and ready force
of approximately 28,500 members of the Armed Forces in South Korea, and
the presence of the members of the Armed Forces in South Korea
demonstrates the continued resolve and support of the United States for
the enduring United States-South Korean Alliance./

(8) /On December 22, 2017, Kim Jong-un stated, /“/The rapid development
of [North Korea's] nuclear force is now exerting big influence on the
world political structure and strategic environment./”/./

(9) /On January 1, 2018, Kim Jong-un stated /“/The entire United States
is within range of our nuclear weapons, and a nuclear button is always
on my desk. This is reality, not a threat. This year we should focus on
mass producing nuclear warheads and ballistic missiles for operational
deployment./”/./

(10) /Despite 11 standalone United Nations Security Council resolutions
against the nuclear and ballistic missile programs of the Democratic
People's Republic of Korea, 8 of which passed during the rule of Kim
Jong-un, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea has continued to
illegally and unlawfully pursue a long-range, nuclear capability meant
to hold hostage the United States and threaten the security of the
neighbors of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea./

(11) /The 2017 National Security Strategy (NSS) states—/

(A) “/Our alliance and friendship with South Korea, forged by the trials
of history, is stronger than ever./”/;/

(B) “/Allies and partners magnify our power … [and] together with our
allies, partners, and aspiring partners, the United States will pursue
cooperation with reciprocity./”/; and/

(C) /with respect to priority actions in the Indo-Pacific region, /“/We
will redouble our commitment to established alliances and partnerships,
while expanding and deepening relationships with new partners that share
respect for sovereignty … and the rule of law./”/./

(12) /Secretary of Defense James Mattis stated, /“/Winston Churchill
noted that the only thing harder than fighting with allies is fighting
without them. History proves that we are stronger when we stand united
with others. Accordingly, our military will be designed, trained, and
ready to fight alongside allies./”/./

(13) /The 2018 National Defense Strategy (NDS) states, /“/Mutually
beneficial alliances and partnerships are crucial to our strategy,
providing a durable, asymmetric strategic advantage that no competitor
or rival can match … [and the United States] will strengthen and evolve
our alliances and partnerships into an extended network capable of
deterring or decisively acting to meet the shared challenges of our
time./”/./

(14) /The unclassified summary of 2018 NDS, an 11-page document,
mentions the term /“/allies/”/or /“/alliances/”/over 50 times./

(15) /The 2018 NDS states, /“/China is a strategic competitor using
predatory economics to intimidate its neighbors … [and] it is
increasingly clear that China…want[s] to shape a world consistent with
their authoritarian model—gaining veto authority over other nations’
economic, diplomatic, and security decisions./”/./

(16) /Foreign policy experts have long contended that the first priority
of the People's Republic of China on the Korean Peninsula is to ensure
that the Democratic People's Republic of Korea remains a buffer between
China and the democratic South Korea and the United States forces
deployed on the Korean Peninsula./

(17) /China continues to provide the Democratic People's Republic of
Korea with most of its food and energy supplies and, until recently,
accounted for approximately 90 percent of the total trade volume of the
Democratic People's Republic of Korea./

(18) /On June 30, 2017, President Donald Trump stated, /“/Our goal is
peace, stability and prosperity for the region. But the United States
will defend itself, always will defend itself, always, and we will
always defend our allies. As part of that commitment, we are working
together to ensure fair burden sharing and support of the United States
military presence in Republic of Korea./”/./

(19) /South Korea already pays for approximately 50 percent of the total
nonpersonal costs of the 28,500 United States members of the Armed
Forces on the Korean Peninsula, amounting to $887,500,000 in 2018./

(20) /President Moon Jae-in has committed to increasing the defense
spending of South Korea during his term from the current level 2.4
percent of the gross domestic product to 2.9 percent of the gross
domestic product./

(21) /News reports published in early May 2018 have stated that
President Trump asked the Secretary of Defense to provide him with
options for removing United States troops from the Korean Peninsula./

(22) /National Security Advisor John Bolton responded, /“/The President
has not asked the Pentagon to provide options for reducing American
forces stationed in South Korea./”/./

(23) /A spokesman for the Secretary stated, /“/The president has not
asked the Pentagon to provide options for reducing American forces
stationed in South Korea. The Department of Defense's mission in South
Korea remains the same, and our force posture has not changed. The
Department of Defense remains committed to supporting the maximum
pressure campaign, developing and maintaining military options for the
President, and reinforcing our ironclad security commitment with our
allies. We all remain committed to complete, verifiable, and
irreversible denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula./”/./

(b) /Sense of Senate/.—/It is the sense of the Senate that—/

(1) /South Korea is a close friend and ally of the United States, and
the United States-South Korea alliance is the linchpin of peace and
security in the Indo-Pacific region;/

(2) /the presence of United States military forces on the Korean
Peninsula and across the Indo-Pacific region continues to play a
critical role in safeguarding the peaceful and stable rules-based
international order that benefits all countries;/

(3) /South Korea has contributed heavily to its own defense and to the
defense of the United States Armed Forces in South Korea, including by
providing $10,000,000,000 of the $10,800,000,0000 Camp Humphreys
project, which is 93 percent of the funding, to build and relocate
United States military forces to a new base in South Korea;/

(4) /United States military forces, pursuant to international law, are
lawfully deployed on the Korean Peninsula;/

(5) /the nuclear and ballistic missile programs of the Democratic
People's Republic of Korea are clear and consistent violations of
international law;/

(6) /the long-stated strategic objective of authoritarian states such as
the People's Republic of China, the Russian Federation, and the
Democratic People's Republic of Korea has been the significant removal
of United States military forces from the Korean Peninsula;/

(7) /the maximum pressure campaign of the Trump Administration,
including an increase in economic sanctions and diplomatic measures with
United States allies and regional partners, has worked to bring Kim
Jong-un to the negotiation table; and/

(8) /the significant removal of United States military forces from the
Korean Peninsula is a non-negotiable item as it relates to the complete,
verifiable, and irreversible denuclearization of the Democratic People's
Republic of Korea./

/
/
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