US troops await possible South Korea move amid Europe review

A Germany-based unit's uncertain deployment illustrates the competing demands of European defense and security in Asia.

Channel: YTN ·

South KoreaStory of November 12, 2026Trari Newsroom

Why this story? One of YTN's most watched videos since yesterday, with 699,263 views.

YTN: South Korea's first 24-hour news channel, on air since 1995. 5.4M subscribers and 23B views.

"한국으로 이동하라" 통보 뒤 청천벽력…펜타곤 발표에 초긴장 [지금이뉴스] / YTN

Around 1,000 American soldiers in Germany prepared their equipment last summer for a possible autumn move to South Korea. Months later, they are still waiting to learn where they will serve, according to South Korea's YTN news channel, citing The New York Times.

The unit, based in Wiesbaden, is caught in a broader Pentagon review of American forces in Europe. YTN reports that the review's results are expected by the end of the year. The possible Korean deployment is not presented as a finalized transfer.

The report places the uncertainty within President Donald Trump's push to make European NATO allies bear more of their own defense costs while prioritizing China and the defense of the US homeland. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced a six-month review in June, it says.

Citing an NBC report from September, the broadcaster says Washington is considering withdrawing between 25,000 and 40,000 troops from Europe. Germany would face the greatest impact because it hosts the largest American contingent, while Spain, Britain, Italy and Eastern European countries could also be affected.

The Wiesbaden unit is a Multi-Domain Task Force, designed to combine operations across land, sea, air, space and cyber and electronic warfare. Its potential relocation therefore concerns specialized capabilities, not simply troop numbers.

YTN presents sharply different assessments of the trade-off. Brigadier General Steven Carpenter says other NATO members are strengthening their forces but cannot readily reproduce everything the United States provides. The report says European efforts to build up military capacity following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine still require years of work.

Michael Carpenter, a former US ambassador to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, argues that a unilateral withdrawal would benefit Vladimir Putin at the wrong moment. Atlantic Council Asia security specialist Markus Garlauskas offers the opposing case: threats from China and North Korea are underestimated, and moving these assets where they are most needed could justify the risk.

Published on Trari