A US Stryker armored vehicle maneuvers during the 3rd International Combat Training Competition at the Army’s Korea Combat Training Center in Inje, Gangwon Province, on Thursday. (Yonhap)
A US Stryker armored vehicle maneuvers during the 3rd International Combat Training Competition at the Army’s Korea Combat Training Center in Inje, Gangwon Province, on Thursday. (Yonhap)

The US House version of an annual defense policy bill, passed earlier this month, includes a call for maintaining around 28,500 American troops in South Korea and reaffirming the United States' deterrence commitment to the Asian ally, its text showed Monday.

The House approved its version of the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2026 in a 231-196 vote on Sept. 10, authorizing $893 billion in military spending. The text of the endorsed bill has recently been released on Congress' website.

The bill noted the "sense of Congress" that the US defense secretary should continue efforts to strengthen alliances and partnerships in the Indo-Pacific by maintaining the presence of around 28,500 US service members, affirming the US' "extended deterrence" commitment and enhancing mutual defense base cooperation.

Extended deterrence refers to the US' pledge to use the full range of its military capabilities, including nuclear, to defend its ally.

The policy bill has gained renewed attention in South Korea amid lingering speculation that US President Donald Trump's administration could consider a troop reduction in Korea and ask its ally to take on a greater security burden.

The Senate is looking into its own NDAA version.

Before its finalization, the defense bill is set to go through a series of congressional procedures, including the process of narrowing gaps between the House and Senate, and merging their respective versions of the bill. (Yonhap)