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talkpoliticsRecently the US were supposed to leave Syria, and did not, or rather moved the troops to different locations in the Middle East. This was presumably due to the threat of Turkey invading the areas the US were stationed. Under that premise, maybe things are getting too hot for the troops located there and it would be better to move them farther out of missile range in other parts of Asia?
Although it has not made much news, North Korea is still testing missiles there. I wonder what the South Korean response would be, as of yet they have not commented. Yet, Trump's next move was stunning...
Trump hikes price tag for US forces in Korea almost 400% as Seoul questions alliance
--Trump is demanding that South Korea pay roughly 400% more in 2020 to cover the cost of keeping US troops on the peninsula, a congressional aide and an administration official confirmed to CNN.
The price hike has frustrated Pentagon officials and deeply concerned Republican and Democratic lawmakers, according to military officials and congressional aides. It has angered and unnerved Seoul, where leaders are questioning US commitment to their alliance and wondering whether Trump will pull US forces if they don't pay up.
"Nothing says I love you like a shakedown," said Vipin Narang, an associate professor at MIT who follows the Korean peninsula, summarizing South Korean uncertainty about the US.
--In the US, congressional aides and Korea experts familiar with the talks say the President's $4.7 billion demand came out of thin air, sending State and Defense Department officials scrambling to justify the number with a slew of new charges that may include Seoul paying some costs for US personnel present on the peninsula and for troops and equipment that rotate through.
--North Korea has already launched 24 missiles this year, each a violation of UN resolutions, to match the country's previous annual record for firing off projectiles that threaten South Korea and Japan, according to Bruce Klingner, a senior fellow at the Heritage Foundation.
Pentagon's Esper says it is crucial South Korea pays more for U.S. troops
--South Korea, Esper said, “is a wealthy country and could and should pay more” for the U.S. military deployment.
“It is crucial that we conclude the (defense pact) ... with increased burden sharing by the Republic of Korea before the end of the year,” Esper told a news conference.
Jeong said he and Esper shared the view that the cost-sharing pact being negotiated should be fair and mutually agreeable, but it was unclear if they shared any sense of what a fair amount might be.
A South Korean lawmaker said last week that U.S. officials demanded up to $5 billion a year, more than five times what Seoul agreed to pay this year under a one-year deal.
--North Korea said in a commentary from state media KCNA on Friday that the U.S. demand for a greater South Korean contribution to defense costs was an “attempt to plunder others” and strengthen its military dominance in the region.
The South Korean foreign ministry announced another round of defense cost talks would be held on Nov. 18-19 in Seoul
LOL. You have a nice place here. Would you like to see it stay that way, or would you like for it to be exposed to people that would like to harm it? Oh, you'd like to keep it huh? Well it will only cost you 400% more. That's Trump's "Art of the Deal".
What a wonderful idea for isolationists and a horrible one for everyone else.
Although it has not made much news, North Korea is still testing missiles there. I wonder what the South Korean response would be, as of yet they have not commented. Yet, Trump's next move was stunning...
Trump hikes price tag for US forces in Korea almost 400% as Seoul questions alliance
--Trump is demanding that South Korea pay roughly 400% more in 2020 to cover the cost of keeping US troops on the peninsula, a congressional aide and an administration official confirmed to CNN.
The price hike has frustrated Pentagon officials and deeply concerned Republican and Democratic lawmakers, according to military officials and congressional aides. It has angered and unnerved Seoul, where leaders are questioning US commitment to their alliance and wondering whether Trump will pull US forces if they don't pay up.
"Nothing says I love you like a shakedown," said Vipin Narang, an associate professor at MIT who follows the Korean peninsula, summarizing South Korean uncertainty about the US.
--In the US, congressional aides and Korea experts familiar with the talks say the President's $4.7 billion demand came out of thin air, sending State and Defense Department officials scrambling to justify the number with a slew of new charges that may include Seoul paying some costs for US personnel present on the peninsula and for troops and equipment that rotate through.
--North Korea has already launched 24 missiles this year, each a violation of UN resolutions, to match the country's previous annual record for firing off projectiles that threaten South Korea and Japan, according to Bruce Klingner, a senior fellow at the Heritage Foundation.
Pentagon's Esper says it is crucial South Korea pays more for U.S. troops
--South Korea, Esper said, “is a wealthy country and could and should pay more” for the U.S. military deployment.
“It is crucial that we conclude the (defense pact) ... with increased burden sharing by the Republic of Korea before the end of the year,” Esper told a news conference.
Jeong said he and Esper shared the view that the cost-sharing pact being negotiated should be fair and mutually agreeable, but it was unclear if they shared any sense of what a fair amount might be.
A South Korean lawmaker said last week that U.S. officials demanded up to $5 billion a year, more than five times what Seoul agreed to pay this year under a one-year deal.
--North Korea said in a commentary from state media KCNA on Friday that the U.S. demand for a greater South Korean contribution to defense costs was an “attempt to plunder others” and strengthen its military dominance in the region.
The South Korean foreign ministry announced another round of defense cost talks would be held on Nov. 18-19 in Seoul
LOL. You have a nice place here. Would you like to see it stay that way, or would you like for it to be exposed to people that would like to harm it? Oh, you'd like to keep it huh? Well it will only cost you 400% more. That's Trump's "Art of the Deal".
What a wonderful idea for isolationists and a horrible one for everyone else.
